Hybrid Solar-Powered Street Lighting System with Battery Storage and Grid Integration

The conventional lighting systems that are present today result in the wastage of an ample amount of energy and money, as the lights will remain turned on most of the time even when it is not in use. Artificial lighting is a constant companion in street lighting systems, influencing visibility in parking spaces as well as roads and highways. In recent years, new technical solutions have extended traditional highway lighting systems to become ‘smart’. This project focuses on smart lit highway systems that can drastically decrease unwanted energy usage and associated expenses. The motion sensors and Infrared sensors used in the proposed system are mainly what turn on the streetlights in front of them when they locate people or cars approaching. The sensors are supplied power from a battery, powered by a solar Photovoltaic array and are also given backup power supply from the power grid. Only in rare circumstances where the battery is insufficiently charged to power the sensors is the backup power supply used. When the system detects the presence of a vehicle, it raises the light intensity from zero level to high level. The system would automatically turn off the lights during the absence of at least one vehicle in a particular area, eliminating power wastage. A prototype which demonstrates the working of the streetlights and associated sensors has been developed. The suggested concept can have multiple applications on both a high level and a low level.