Benefit From The Energy Efficiency And Durability of LED Public Lighting Systems
Since its invention more than 50 years ago, LED has come a long way. From instrument indicators to digital clocks to holiday displays and recent smart buildings, LED application options seem to be limitless. As environmental awareness increases, more and more consumers want to benefit from the energy efficiency and durability of Led Public lighting systems.Municipalities are also increasingly seeking to replace obsolete energy-consuming streetlights with more efficient LED public lighting to take advantage of these advantages. Manufacturers meet their needs by building partnerships and developing LED technology to meet more stringent street lighting standards. In addition to decisions regarding lighting, color, strength, connectivity and entrance protection, the most important consideration for street lighting retrofits must be to provide power and controller drivers for the LEDs. So what are the key factors to consider when choosing an LED driver for a street lighting system?LED public lighting driver positioningLED public lighting must be durable and easy to maintain. More and more manufacturers are meeting this need by designing systems with remote LED drivers located in the junction box at the bottom of the streetlight, rather than inside the fixture at the top of the pole. This allows for easier maintenance as drivers tend to be more prone to failure than LEDs. Easier maintenance means increased savings for municipalities.Remote drives also play a role in LED thermal management. LED drivers are traditionally built into the LED common illumination on the head in front of the LED module. During the voltage conversion process, the thermal energy generated by the LED driver is trapped in the housing and passed to the LED. High temperatures can cause premature failure. LED public lighting with remote drives is exposed to less heat and is therefore more durable than built-in luminaires.Surge protection and overvoltageLEDs operate at low voltages and are more sensitive to overvoltages than conventional bulbs. Standard LED drivers are designed to withstand overvoltages from 2kV to 4kV, but street lights are subject to higher voltage fluctuations. For example, grid overvoltages can be as high as 6 kV, while known lightning strikes can produce overvoltages of up to 10 kV. Electrostatic discharge (ESD) generated during routine maintenance can also affect unprotected LEDs.High overvoltages can cause high currents and premature aging of LEDs, resulting in shorter life and lower economics for municipalities. Therefore, designers must consider adding a high-quality surge protector that is suitable for the intended application environment.Lighting controlIf future scalability is critical, then controller functionality must also be taken into account. Digital addressable lighting interfaces or DALI-based controllers are becoming more and more popular in street lighting control. Not only because they can be upgraded to wireless, but also because these controllers offer better compatibility with existing lighting control systems. The DALI controller is simple, scalable, flexible and powerful. DALI can control individual LEDs and even LED groups and can be easily reconfigured to adapt to changing conditions.As global cities seek to reduce costs and improve nighttime visibility, rapidly evolving LED technology opens the door to new applications for public street lighting. The complexity of municipal street lighting requires designers to consider many factors when specifying conversions, primarily LED driver attributes. The most efficient drives are easy to maintain, provide surge protection, control lighting and ensure LED life.
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