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Advanced Commercial Solar Lighting Concepts Explained: Staying Lit Through Bad Weather

Posted in: | July 25, 2022

We are aware of common misconceptions and concerns about solar lighting, with customers asking the following frequent questions: Is commercial solar lighting bright enough? Will they stay lit for the required period? Would changing weather conditions prevent proper solar charge? Are the solar light fixtures and components durable enough?

Gama Sonic commercial solar lights can illuminate the surface up to 2X-3X more than what typical local governance regulations require, lasting up to 4-10 nights on a single full charge (depending on the type of light and light mode setting) and our LED bulbs last 10+ years with batteries lasting 5+ years. Let us dive deeper into these concepts.

How Long Do Gama Sonic Commercial Solar Lights Stay On?

How much water is in the trough is determined by how wide the water pipe that fills it, and how strong the current of the water flowing through that pipe. This is the same concept of a solar light. 

In a solar light, the battery is the trough – you need to have it full enough to provide energy to generate light.

Two factors impact how the battery will be charged:

  1. Voltage: the electric potential of the battery
  2. Ampere: which is the charge it can push

The math is simple: the power a single battery can hold, equals to its Voltage times Ampere (Voltage X Ampere = Watts).

As an example, one of our popular commercial grade solar lights, the Modern Commercial Solar LED Post Light, has two batteries, each with a 12.8V (voltage) and 6Ah (Ampere). As a result, a fully charged light holds 153.6 Wattage (12.8 X 6 X 2 batteries = 153.6 Watts)

In this example of our Modern Commercial Solar LED Post Light, it requires 38.4W for a 12-hour night on its High Mode, and 19.2W for a full 12-hr night on its Low Mode. That means that when fully charged, the batteries will power the light for 4-nights straight on a High Mode (153.3W / 38.4W = 4) and 8-nights on a Low Mode (153.3W/19.2W = 8)

Another example is Gama Sonic’s Everest II Commercial Solar Double Lamps, which require 16.8W for a 12-hour night on High Mode and 8.4W for a full 12-hour night on Low Mode. The batteries in this light can hold 100 Watts. When applying the same math as before, that means a single fully charged light will last for more than 5-nights in High Mode and more than 10-nights in Low Mode.

How much direct sun is needed to power the light for a full night?

Looking again at the Modern Commercial Solar LED Post Light, its 20 Watt solar panel ensures the battery will be charged ~16 Watts per hour, so after 2.5 hours of direct sunlight, the battery will have 40 Watts, enough to power the light for a full 12-hour night (this light requires 38.4 Watts to light up on a high mode for 12 hours). A 4-hour charge of direct sunlight (which is typical direct light on a regular sunny day) will generate 64W, which is enough for about 2-nights in High Mode and 4-nights in Low Mode.

Bad Weather’s Impact on Commercial Solar Lights

Let us discuss the weather’s impact on how long your commercial solar light will stay lit. Generally speaking, severe weather will have little-impact on high quality solar lights. As long as the commercial solar light receives sufficient direct sunlight to charge, it can withstand a few cloudy or rainy days in the interim.

So even when you have some cloudy or rainy days, the high-quality Gama Sonic batteries are powerful enough to provide your solar lighting with a few nights of light even in less-than-ideal weather conditions.

In the Modern Commercial Solar LED Post Light example above, if a 4-hour charge is enough for 2-full nights, then even if you had one heavily cloudy day for every sunny day, the solar light would still work as expected. Moreover, as shown above, a fully charged light will power the light 4-nights straight (in High Mode) and 8-nights straight (in Low Mode), ensuring the light stays on even when you get a few severe weather days.

How many years will Gama Sonic commercial solar lights last?

Gama Sonic’s commercial solar lights are made with durable materials, quality batteries, LEDs, and bulbs that last for years.

  • Cast aluminum fixture: Gama Sonic commercial solar lights are made from cast aluminum. They are weather resistant (IP65) and rust resistant, with some being coastal approved. 
  • LED technology: Gama Sonic Commercial solar lights are equipped with LED lights that can last up to 50,000 hours. If 1 night = 12 hours of light, this means the LED lights will last about 11.5 years.
  • Batteries: Gama Sonic uses commercial grade LifePO4 -batteries with 2,000 charging cycles. 2,000 nights/365 days in a year = 5.5 years of operation. After that, the battery will slowly reduce its charging capacity. However, replacing new batteries is a simple and quick DIY task with new batteries widely available.

The commercial series solar lights by Gama Sonic provides a superior experience with bright, durable, maintenance free and cost-effective lighting solutions with no electrical wiring, digging, trenching, or running gas lines, saving you time and money. Complete the form and one of our commercial solar lighting managers will contact you to discuss your needs.

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