Dear Sirs,

I am writing to you as a member of Parish Council charged with investigating alternative powered 'street lighting'. The lighting that we are looking into is to illuminate 'alleys' within the village (our main street lighting is supplied through County Council).

I have looked at your website, and I personally think that you provide the best range and prices from a UK supplier.

What we are looking at is to provide illumination so that people can see their way along these alleys rather than full lighting (more a H&S level of lighting rather than safety/security level). Obviously our main concerns are to provide sufficient light for a sufficient period (especially through the 'dark months'). I think that we could look at a 'dusk to dawn' system with a built in shutdown period of 1AM until 5AM so we are effectively looking for a 12 hour illumination period during this 'dark months' season.

The main site which we have identified is generally shady/gloomy (hence why it needs illumination) as are the two secondary targets.

The style of light that I am looking at (using your catalogue references) is StrLtF 12W80 as the light unit itself is fairly unobtrusive (the entire Village is a Conservation area), but the light output, even with the additional power pack, is not sufficient. Given the ambient light levels at the sight are low, what I was wondering is whether the power supply pack from PL32 80/80 which includes a small wind turbine could utilised to power the StrLtF 12W80 (or even better two along the length of the alleyway) and still provide sufficient light / illumination time. The other question to ask about this is turbine noise as the lighting will be situated near to houses - what are the noise levels and recommended siting distances?

Another area of concern is vandalism - we do not have a significant problem in our village, but it does happen from time to time, and a nice shiny solar panel would be like a 'honeypot'. How robust are the units? What is the experience?

The final question is the obvious one - COST? With a very limited budget are we going to be able to provide two units in two locations? What are the ongoing maintenance costs per unit on an annual basis?

Another area that we will wish to investigate at a future date is alternative power 'floodlighting' for some of our sports facilities (triple tennis courts, sports pavilion building, football pitch). Any such units would need to 'throw' light - particularly for the football pitch - and be switchable. Does such a thing exist? What sort of cost would we be looking at (a 'ball park' figure is all we need at this stage, not a cost pricing)?

Many Thanks,

Our response is below.

Many thanks for the mail.

If I have understood you correctly you are looking for a wind/solar combination that will provide power to a 32W PL-T lamp for  dawn to dusk (excluding 1am to 5am) all year round. This is a sensible suggestion and should work fine.

The photos on the website are perhaps a little misleading in that the light fitting for the StrLtF 12W80 and the PL32 80/80 are very similar and so I would suggest sticking to the conventional lamp head.

There are a couple of on-site variables that make it difficult to pin down the energy input exactly. In order for the system to stand the best chance of working uninterrupted it requires a clear, unobstructed aspect to the South (for the sun) and an all-round clear aspect for the wind turbine - i.e. no large buildings or trees sheltering the wind or causing turbulence. Generally park land or proximity to one and two storey buildings is OK.

Noise from the windturbine is of course very variable (with changing windspeed) and is highly subjective. If there are trees between the house and wind turbine then it's likely that the wind noise in the trees is more significant than the wind turbine. Similarly with open fences.

Distance from wind turbine to house? - this is the most subjective as it's a combination of the visual impact and 'noise' impact. I'd say safely 50 yards without causing offense. You might also like to consider the impact that the light will have on the residents - In my experience light at night time is not always welcome.

Vandalism - The system components would be at the top of a 6m column - this is usually high enough to stop climbers from doing damage and difficult to lob a brick this high. The solar panels are tested using a simulation hailstone - a steel ball dropped from 1m high. This is more like a car windscreen than a plate glass window and will withstand footballs etc. The windturbine is similarly inaccessible and robust. That said neither are indestructable and we have to take advise from our cleints on the likely hazards and dangers on the sites in question.

Cost: The pole top units cost £ 1,615.00 each excluding VAT and carriage.

In addition you will need columns  - our cost for a 6m column is £ 325.00 each excluding VAT and carriage

Carriage is somewhat dependant on quantity - a street light column delivery costs around £ 250 regardless of the number on units - we need a postcode to give a firm figure. The solar panels and street light heads are normally supplied ready-assembled and cost £ 75 each for delivery.

We have some LED lights which might be helpful for your playing fields - the best way I can describe these is by likening them to a car headlight. If these were only required for 4-5 hours per day then I'd suggest a budget of £ 900 +VAT for the lamps. You would again need columns (similar cost to above) + carriage ( similar cost to above).

You will also require someone to undertake the installation work - It normally works best if you have a local contractor do this. Operations include : Bore 200mm dia hole in ground, place in column root and secure. Lift lamp head and place on top of column (usually done with cherry picker). Clamp street lamp head to the column. Plug lamp to lamp head.

I hope this is helpful .

Regards,

Ian

Ian Tansley
Director