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A Guide to Solar Luminaires

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Solar Fixture Components1) A Solar Panel

2) A Battery

3) A controller/sensor/driver

4) LED Engine

1

2

3

4Energy collection ≥ Energy spent

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Solar Insolation

SLS: Solar LED Streetlight

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• All-in-one design

• Outdoor fixture, no wires

• Built-in motion sensor

• Built-in photocontrol

• Standard slip-fitter mounting

• 3 lumen output options

• Type III optics

• Operating temperature -10°C to 50°C (battery charging stops below 0°C)

SLS: Mounting

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± 50° tilt10° increments

± 90° adjustment5° increments

The amount of electricity generated by a fixed-tilt solar system depends on the orientation of panel relative to the sun. The solar panel collects

solar radiation most efficiently when the sun's rays are

perpendicular to the panel.

True South

Panel tilt from vertical

Integral Solar Panel

Solar Fixture Mounting – Tilt angle calculator

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The correct angle for your project will

depend very much as to when you want to

get the best out of your solar system. If you

want to get the best performance during

the summer months, you would angle your

photovoltaic panels according to the height

of the sun in the sky during these months.

If you want to improve your winter

performance, you would angle your solar

panels towards the winter months in order

to get the best performance at that time of

year.

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Solar Fixture Mounting – Tilt angle calculator

The correct angle for your project will

depend very much as to when you want to

get the best out of your solar system. If you

want to get the best performance during

the summer months, you would angle your

photovoltaic panels according to the height

of the sun in the sky during these months.

If you want to improve your winter

performance, you would angle your solar

panels towards the winter months in order

to get the best performance at that time of

year.

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Solar Fixture Mounting – Tilt angle calculator

The correct angle for your project will

depend very much as to when you want to

get the best out of your solar system. If you

want to get the best performance during

the summer months, you would angle your

photovoltaic panels according to the height

of the sun in the sky during these months.

If you want to improve your winter

performance, you would angle your solar

panels towards the winter months in order

to get the best performance at that time of

year.

SLS030 Mounting – Philadelphia, PA

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Source: https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/pvwatts.php

5,059

6,0266,287

6,023 6,124

5,407

4,307

7521,968

3,625

5,360

3,845

1,119662

Energy required for 100% setting for a month

70% setting

40% setting

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

January February March April May June July August September October November December

Ene

rgy

(Wh

)Effect of panel orientation - 1 fixed tilt setting for the year

Philadelphia, PA - 50° tilt from vertical

South Facing East Facing West Facing North Facing100% setting 70% setting 40% setting

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Source: https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/pvwatts.php

1415

1717

16 1717 17

16

15

13

12

88

9 109 9 10 10

98

87

6 67 7 7 7 7 7 6

65

5

1 1

2

4

56 6

4

2

1 1 10

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

January February March April May June July August September October November December

Ru

nti

me

(H

ou

rs)

Effect of panel orientation & fixture settings on runtimePhiladelphia, PA - 50° tilt from vertical

BEST CASE SCENARIO WEATHER PERMITTING

40% Setting, South 70% Setting, South 100% Setting, South40% Setting, North 70% Setting, North 100% Setting, North

Properly Aimedand set to 40%

Improperly aimed

SLS030 Mounting – Philadelphia, PA

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Source: https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/pvwatts.php

1616

18 18 18 1819

20

18 18

16

15

9 910 10 10 11 11 11

10 109

8

7 67 7 7 7 8 8

7 77

6

23

4

6

78 8

7

5

3

2 10

5

10

15

20

25

January February March April May June July August September October November December

Ru

nti

me

Ho

urs

Effect of panel orientation & fixture settings on runtimeLaredo, TX - 62° tilt from vertical

BEST CASE SCENARIO, WEATHER PERMITTING

40% Setting, South 70% Setting, South 100% Setting, South

40% Setting, North 70% Setting, North 100% Setting, North

Properly Aimedand set to 40%

Improperly Aimed

SLS030 Mounting – Laredo, TX

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Source: https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/pvwatts.php

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

January February March April May June July August September October November December

Ru

nti

me

Ho

urs

Effect of panel orientation & tilt on runtimeLaredo, TX; tilt angle provided from vertical

BEST CASE SCENARIO, WEATHER PERMITTING

75° Tilt, North

60° tilt, North

45 Tilt, North

30° Tilt, North

15° Tilt, North

100% Load Setting

SLS030 Mounting – Laredo, TX

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SLN Series offers independent panel orientation capabilityby decoupling solar panel and light source

SLN: Solar LED NEMA Head

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Its 2-axis adjustable panel design allows for optimal positioning of solar panel without compromising site illumination.

• Outdoor fixture, no wires

• Built-in motion sensor

• Built-in photocontrol

• 3 lumen output options

• Type V and Type II optics

• Operating temperature -20°C (-4°F) to 50°C (122°F) (battery charging stops below 0°C)

Solar Luminaire: Temperature Dependence

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Too Cold• Charging is disabled below

freezing temperatures to protect battery.

• Mean number of days below freezing for Philadelphia – 88

Too Hot• Panel efficiency decreases

with temperature

Source: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ghcn/comparative-climatic-data

SLS/SLN Warranty

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• 3 years battery

• 5 years fixture

• No warranty on performance due to its dependence on environmental factors, and proper aiming requirements of the panel per site’s geographic location. Natural variations in weather, and environmental conditions greatly impact performance. No assurance of any specific performance criterion (lumens, duration) is implied.

SLS/SLN: Remote Control Settings

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SLS-RC: Remote control programmer; required to program and turn on the fixtures for the first time. Works with multiple luminaires.

The Luminaire will flash twice when mode selection is received.

The luminaire will reduce to 40% output power when battery reaches less than 15% of capacity

SLS/SLN: Remote Control Settings

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0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11Lu

men

Ou

tpu

t1

Time after Dusk2 (H)

Motion Sensing Modes

40%-100%

20%-80%

1. Fully Charged Battery2. Optimal Conditions

SLS/SLN: Remote Control Settings

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1. Fully Charged Battery2. Optimal Conditions

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11Lu

men

Ou

tpu

t1

Time after Dusk2 (H)

Time Based Modes

Dim-1 Dim-2

SLS/SLN: Remote Control Settings

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1. Fully Charged Battery2. Optimal Conditions

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Lum

en O

utp

ut1

Time after Dusk2 (H)

Constant Output Modes

100%

70%

40%

SLS/SLN: Remote Control Settings

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1. Fully Charged Battery2. Optimal Conditions

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Lum

en O

utp

ut1

Time after Dusk2 (H)

Set Time Modes

Set to 4 Hours Set to 8 Hours

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Solar panels should always face true south if you are in the northern hemisphere. The tilt angle depends on your latitude and season.

To calculate optimum solar panel tilt when the latitude of the project site is known –https://www.solarpaneltilt.com/

SLS: Useful Resources

John B. Gibson, MSME

Mechanical Design EngineerTechnical Coordinator – Solar Lighting Systems

ANSI C136.40jgibson@howard-ind.com

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Thank You!Customer Service Team

601-422-1660