Street lighting is very important for driving during night. That’s why it is one the most important factors for maintaining smooth and safe traffic after sunset. With the growing number of vehicles and roads, need for such types is also growing. For many years now, various companies involved with the manufacturing of such lights have been enjoying a huge demand. Till the 1990s they used incandescent bulbs which used high pressure sodium or mercury vapors.
More number of street lights means more energy required to light them up. Sodium and mercury lamps consume a lot of power. In early 90’s, the power consumption by these kinds of lighting went beyond the desired levels. The scientists started looking for an option which was power efficient. After several researches, LED street lighting emerged as the best one. They not only consume far less power than the conventional sodium or mercury lights, but also produce better light. They also last longer.
All these qualities made major cities in US and Europe shift from the conventional ones to LED street lighting. Initially, they struggled to make quality LED light and were unable to replace the more power consuming lights, but the technology became better with time and in recent times most of the big cities are using LED light systems. This not only saves a lot of money, but also improves the quality of illumination. Both these qualities have saved a lot of money for the users of such types.
The LED street light is an example of integrated lights. The bulbs are not separate from the panel. In fact, a cluster of LED bulbs is sealed to a panel and a heat sink is attached to it in such lights. The heat sink is used to absorb the heat generated by the LED ones. Usually a single high power LED bulb is used to make such lighting, but various companies nowadays have started using a pack of low power LED lamps to have the same output.
A traditional street light has a reflector behind the bulb which usually causes a significant loss of lighting. It results in light pollution. The glare produced by such lights is also not safe for the drivers. The LED ones usually have a lens on the LED panel, which not only prevents the loss of lights but also gives them a well-defined rectangular pattern. They do not produce any glare as well.
In all, the LED street light has many advantages over the conventional lighting. The biggest advantage is the low power consumption. Compared to the 35lm/w of mercury lamps, LED lights have more power efficacy level which ranges from 80 – 100lm/w nowadays. Apart from being more power efficient, they are ecofriendly too as they are solid state lights and also long- lasting. The life span of such types is 50000 to 100000 hours which is far more than any conventional light.
All these qualities make LED street lights a preferred way to illuminate the roads.
