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SEPCO worked closely with Electrical Dynamics, Inc in Lawrence MA to provide lighting to a project where grid power wasn’t feasible. A small triangle parking lot for the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center had no lighting for their patients, especially after the sun goes down in the winter months. Solar lighting systems are the best option to provide the required lighting without the high costs of trenching and construction of the surrounding area to bring in grid power.
The SolarViper system was used to provide all-night lighting, year-round. The 300 Watt solar power assembly provides enough power to operate the fixtures up to 14.35 hours in the winter and the QS 328 Amp hour battery assembly installed provides at least 7.5 nights autonomy for the Northern Climate of Massachusetts.
A photometric plan was provided to the customer to show the lighting provided by the Viper fixtures and ensured that the IESNA standards for parking lot lighting could be met with all fixtures installed on the perimeter of the parking lot. Shields were ordered, but not installed, as the Viper fixture provides very little backlight and no up light (BUG rating on these fixtures is B1U0G1 and depends on distribution pattern), making these a dark sky friendly fixture for areas with this requirement. This is especially important since the parking area is nestled between residential areas.
The SolarViper system sits on a 20’ aluminum anchor base pole to allow for a fixture mounting height of around 16’. The poles sit on concrete foundations and the fixtures mount using the SP side of pole upsweep bracket 4’ in length.
Solar lighting systems are always feasible from project start for areas where underground construction costs will far outweigh the ability for stand-alone solar lighting solutions. With LED’s providing higher and higher lumens per watt, the solar industry is able to meet the same light levels as grid-powered lighting with higher feasibility than in the past. The costs of solar reduces every year making solar lighting a viable solution for more commercial and industrial as well as municipal projects.
