When buyers choose street lights for road lighting projects, they will compare the prices of ordinary led street lights and solar led street lights, especially when the buyer is an outdoor lighting project contractor or government construction sourcing department. So why are solar led street lights so much more expensive than normal led street lights? What are their main differences?
Solar Street Light Cost Analysis LED Street Light Cost Analysis
First of all, there are similarities between them. Solar led street lights and LED street lights use similar light sources and the same poles. The difference is that LED street lights use a power driver but the solar street lights use a solar controller, and they are similar in price. In addition, solar street lights have several more accessories than LED street lights: solar panels, solar batteries, and installation accessories.
For LED street lights, if you want increase the power outputs, you need increase the light source and power driver, sometime need a bigger housing. But for solar led street lights, if you want increase the power outputs you need increase the solar panels, batteries, and light sources at the same time. So the cost will increase much higher than ordinary led street light. This is the main reason why the price of solar led street lights is much higher than that of LED street lights.
All in all, the price composition of solar street lights is determined according to actual usage requirements. For solar lamps, it is best not to choose products that are too cheap. You get what you pay for, the quality of products that are too cheap is not guaranteed. In addition to solar street lights, solar lawn lights, wind-solar hybrid street lights, solar garden lights and other outdoor lighting fixtures are the same. The configuration determines the price, and the price determines the quality, so buyers should not only pay attention to the price and ignore the quality.
Although the solar led street light price is higher than LED street light price, but the solar led street lights are still with unique advantages. For example, no need for electricity, smart working mode, no wiring installation, simple maintenance. Even if the price is higher, it is still favored by the market.
Cost analysis of led street light and solar street light
| 60W Solar LED Street Lights | 60W LED Street Light | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Item | Qty. | Unit Cost | Sub Total | Qty. | Unit Cost | Sub Total |
| Light | 1 | US$420 | US$420 | 1 | US$85 | US$85 |
| Concrete Base | 1 | US$50 | US$50 | 1 | US$50 | US$50 |
| Installation | 1 | US$30 | US$30 | 1 | US$30 | US$30 |
| Operating Procedures (Trenching, Wiring…) | None | 25m | US$5 per meter | US$125 | ||
| Accessories (Cable, Pipe…) | None | 25m | US$3 per meter | US$75 | ||
| Distribution box (Transformer, MCU…) | None | 1 | US$10 per light | US$10 | ||
| Initial Investment | US$500 | US$375 | ||||
| Annual Electric Cost | None | 60w*12h*365d per year, US$0.15 per KWH | US$39.4 | |||
| Annual Maintenance | Battery replacement after 5 years. US$118/5Y | US$23.6 | Wiring check, labor cost. US$10 per light per year. | US$10 | ||
| Annual Battery Recycle | Lithium battery recycle US$30 in 5 years. | -US$6 | None | 0 | ||
| 1st Year Cost | US$517.6 | US$424.4 | ||||
| 2nd Year Cost | US$535.2 | US$473.8 | ||||
| 3rd Year Cost | US$552.8 | US$523.2 | ||||
| 4th Year Cost | US$570.4 | US$572.6 | ||||
| 5th Year Cost | US$588 | US$622 | ||||
| 6th Year Cost | US$605.6 | US$671.4 | ||||
The main comparison between the cost of solar street light and LED street light:
- Construction cost comparison
For road lighting to install LED street lights, complex operating procedures are required. You need to lay the cable, excavate the cable trench, lay the concealed pipe, make cable thread through the pipe, and finally backfill the cable trench. This series of processes requires a long period of installation and debugging. In addition, if there are any problems with the wiring, extensive rework is required. The complex terrain requires higher requirements and requires more labor.
As for the solar street light, it is easy to install and does not need to lay complicated lines. Just make a cement base to fix the light pole, and then install the solar street light. - Comparison of ongoing costs
There is a fixed electricity cost for the regular work of LED street lights. Long-term continuous work and maintenance of other electrical accessories cost high, and maintenance costs increase year by year. Solar led street lights are a one-time investment and long-term benefits. But the shortcoming of solar street lights lies in the battery, and the battery cost is generally higher. Fortunately, lithium batteries are now commonly used, and lithium batteries can be recycled, which can greatly reduce maintenance costs. Generally speaking, the service life of solar street lights is more than 5 years. After 5 years, the battery capacity is reduced. Solar street lights can still illuminate, but the backup time is reduced in rainy days. We can replace the battery to maintain the same lighting effect.
