When I first began delivering solar street lighting projects in East Africa more than a decade ago, most procurement teams asked the same basic questions: How long will it last? Will it be bright enough? What about rainy days?

Today, even though the technology has matured, these questions still dominate tender Q&As and client consultations. Below, I share ten real questions I hear most often from contractors, municipalities, and consultants—together with answers drawn from field experience, not just theory.

1. What Are Solar Street Lights and How Do They Work?

Solar street lights are standalone systems—no grid cable, no monthly utility bills.

A typical unit includes:

• Monocrystalline solar panel (converts sunlight into DC electricity).
• Lithium battery pack (usually LiFePO₄ today, safer and longer life).
• MPPT controller (maximizes charging efficiency, handles dusk-to-dawn control).
• LED luminaire (high efficiency, ~140–160 lm/W in current models).

For example, in a 2019 project in Dodoma, Tanzania, we deployed 420 all-in-one lights. Each unit had a 60W LED head, 120W solar panel, and 48Ah LiFePO₄ battery—providing 12+ hours of nightly operation without grid dependency.

2. What Are the Main Benefits of Solar Street Lights?

From my experience across Kenya, Mozambique, and Ethiopia, three benefits stand out:

1. Financial savings: In a Nairobi ring-road project, the client saved $180,000 upfront by avoiding trenching and cabling compared to grid lighting.
2. Deployment speed: In rural Uganda, 60 poles were installed in under two weeks because no utility connection was required.
3. Resilience: Off-grid means power outages don’t affect street visibility.

This combination—capex efficiency, rapid rollout, and energy independence—is why governments keep choosing solar for rural electrification corridors.

3. How Long Do Solar Street Lights Last?

Component lifespans differ:

• Solar panels: 20–25 years (IEC 61215 certified).
• LEDs: 50,000–100,000 hours (tested to LM-80).
• Batteries: LiFePO₄ averages 4,000–6,000 cycles (≈8–10 years).

In contrast, earlier lead-acid projects I worked on in Zanzibar (2012) required full battery replacement within three years, doubling maintenance budgets. Today, with LiFePO₄, O&M budgets are far more predictable.

4. How Bright Are Solar Street Lights Compared to Traditional Lights?

Brightness is measured in lumens and matched to road classifications under EN 13201 or IES RP-8 standards.

• Residential roads: 2,000–4,000 lumens sufficient.
• Collector/arterial roads: 6,000–8,000 lumens.
• Highways: 10,000–12,000 lumens.

For example, in a 2021 highway project outside Addis Ababa, we replaced 150W HPS lamps with 80W LED solar units (~11,000 lumens each). Post-installation lux readings averaged 18 lux at pavement level, meeting EN 13201 class M4.

5. Do Solar Street Lights Work on Cloudy or Rainy Days?

Yes—but only if the system is correctly sized.

Most EPC specs target 2–3 days of autonomy. In equatorial climates with rainy seasons, I advise designing for ≥3.5 days.

In Kampala (2020), panels were oversized by 20% to compensate for extended cloud cover. As a result, the lights maintained >95% uptime even during two consecutive weeks of rain.

6. How Much Do Solar Street Lights Cost?

Costs vary widely, but here’s a breakdown from recent African tenders:

Key cost drivers: battery type, panel wattage, pole height, and installation logistics.

When comparing to grid lighting, I often run TCO models: in one case in Malawi, solar was 38% cheaper over 10 years after factoring energy tariffs, trenching, and transformer costs.

7. What Maintenance Do Solar Street Lights Require?

Contrary to the “maintenance-free” myth, solar lights still need O&M:

• Panel cleaning: every 3–6 months in dusty regions (e.g., northern Kenya).
• Battery health checks: every 4–5 years (LiFePO₄).
• Firmware updates: for smart controllers with adaptive dimming.

One project in Maputo (2018) showed a 25% drop in energy yield purely due to uncleaned panels. After cleaning, performance returned immediately—proof small actions make a big difference.

8. Are Solar Street Lights Easy to Install?

Yes—civil works are minimal. A standard workflow:

1. Cast the concrete foundation (curing 5–7 days).
2. Mount pole, panel, and luminaire.
3. Connect internal wiring.
4. Commission system with controller settings.

In South Sudan (2022), 200 poles were installed in just three weeks—versus the 10+ weeks grid lighting would have required (cabling, transformer approvals, utility trenching).

9. Where Can Solar Street Lights Be Used?

Practical deployments I’ve worked on include:

• Highways: Nairobi Southern Bypass.
• Rural villages: Clinics in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique.
• Urban streets: Kampala’s Kira Road upgrades.
• Public spaces: University campuses in Ethiopia.

In each case, the key driver was different—safety at night in clinics, reduced capex for roads, or sustainable branding in universities.

10. What Should I Look for When Buying Solar Street Lights?

Procurement often fails when buyers focus only on wattage or price. Instead, check:

• Datasheets and IES files (for light distribution curves).
• Battery cycle life (LiFePO₄ preferred, >4,000 cycles).
• Ingress protection (IP65 minimum, IP66 for coastal).
• Compliance certificates (IEC, CE, RoHS).
• Warranty (3–5 years real coverage, not “marketing promises”).

I always tell clients: ask vendors for two real project references within Africa. If they cannot show field-proven installations, treat it as a red flag.

Conclusion: How Do You Choose the Right Solar Street Light?

Solar street lighting is no longer experimental—it’s a proven, bankable solution when designed and installed correctly.

But the difference between a project that lasts 10 years and one that fails in 3 years lies in:

• Component quality (especially batteries).
• Correct sizing for local sun hours.
• Realistic maintenance planning.

In my 15 years of projects, the most successful outcomes always came when procurement teams demanded verifiable data, not just glossy brochures.

👉 If you need support preparing bid specs or verifying supplier claims, reach out to Sunlurio—we provide design reviews, cost-benefit models, and African field references to help EPCs win projects with confidence.