Renewable Energy

Lighting solution

Renewable Energy

Off-grid and hybrid solar lighting with LiFePO4 storage for sites where grid power is absent, unreliable or uneconomic to extend.

The scenario

What makes this project type difficult

Extending a grid connection to a rural road costs money per kilometre whether the road is one kilometre long or thirty. Beyond a certain distance — and in many regions that distance is short — a standalone solar lighting system is simply the cheaper way to light the road, with no trenching, no cabling, no metering and no monthly electricity account.

The engineering risk shifts, though. A grid-powered lamp works because the grid works. A solar lamp works because somebody correctly estimated the site's worst-case sunlight, the nightly load and how many consecutive overcast days the system must survive. Get the autonomy wrong and the installation goes dark exactly when the weather is worst.

Design requirements

  • Size battery capacity for the site's worst-case consecutive overcast days
  • Match panel power to local peak sun hours, not to nameplate optimism
  • Maintain output across seasonal temperature extremes
  • Eliminate trenching, cabling and metering for remote installations
  • Provide a runtime profile that matches actual usage hours
  • Ensure the system remains serviceable with minimal local technical support

Recommended configuration

Starting configurations for this scenario

Final wattage, pole height and spacing are always confirmed by the free Dialux lighting design for the actual geometry. The table below is where most projects of this type begin.

Sub-scenario Product Wattage Pole / mounting Spacing Controls
Rural village road Solar Street Light (all-in-one) 60W–120W 6m–8m galvanized Confirmed by Dialux calculation Light control, timer, PIR dimming, 3–5 day autonomy
Remote highway section Solar Street Light (split / all-in-two) 150W–300W 10m–12m galvanized Confirmed by Dialux calculation Light control with dimming profile, 5–7 day autonomy
Monsoon-region installation Solar Street Light with enlarged storage 100W–200W 8m–10m galvanized Confirmed by Dialux calculation Extended autonomy beyond 7 days, customizable
Unreliable-grid public area Hybrid solar/grid Solar Street Light 100W–200W 8m–10m galvanized Confirmed by Dialux calculation Automatic solar/grid switching, fault alarm

Sizing before selling

Every off-grid configuration is calculated from four inputs: the LED load, the nightly runtime, the required autonomy days and the site's peak sun hours. Our solar street light calculator lets you estimate battery capacity and panel wattage yourself, and our engineers then verify the configuration and return a free Dialux simulation confirming the illuminance and uniformity on the ground.

Storage specified for the climate, not the catalogue

Standard Mast Lighting configurations carry 3 to 7 consecutive rainy days of backup, and larger capacities are specified for monsoon regions and long overcast seasons. LiFePO4 cells give a typical 5–8 year service life and operate from -40°C to 65°C, covering both high-heat desert deployments and cold-climate winters.

All-in-one or split

All-in-one units combine panel, battery, LED module and controller in one housing and install as a single piece — fastest to deploy, ideal for village roads, pathways and parking areas. Split (all-in-two) systems separate the panel from the luminaire for lower wind load and better heat dissipation, and are the right choice for higher power outputs, taller poles and exposed highway or coastal locations.

Hybrid where the grid exists but cannot be trusted

Where mains supply is present but intermittent, hybrid units switch automatically between solar and grid power, using the grid as a backup charger rather than a primary source. This keeps public lighting continuous through outages without carrying the battery cost of a fully autonomous system.

Beyond lighting

Mast Lighting also supplies photovoltaic modules and LiFePO4 storage as standalone components for renewable energy projects, and undertakes engineering contracting covering municipal infrastructure, intelligent building, landscape and sports facility works.

Service scope

What is included beyond the hardware

Mast Lighting is TÜV Rheinland audited (MIC-ASI264744) and operates ISO9001 quality management. Engineering support is part of the supply, not a paid extra.

Start an enquiry
  • Free Dialux photometric design confirming illuminance, uniformity and glare
  • Configuration matched to wind zone, temperature band and autonomy requirement
  • OEM/ODM customization of wattage, battery, panel, pole design and controls
  • Inspection at incoming material, in-process, ageing and pre-shipment stages
  • Direct export documentation under our own import and export rights
  • Installation guidance, commissioning support and remote troubleshooting

Products used

Recommended products for this scenario

Solar Street Light

All-in-one and split solar street lights from 50W to 300W with LiFePO4 storage, 3–7 rainy-day autonomy and a 3-year warranty.

Lighting Pole

Hot-dip galvanized tapered steel light poles in 6m, 8m, 10m and 12m heights, engineered to withstand Grade 12 typhoon winds.

Solar Panel

Monocrystalline photovoltaic modules supplied as matched components for solar lighting systems and renewable energy projects.

Lithium Battery

LiFePO4 (lithium iron phosphate) battery packs for solar lighting storage, with a typical 5–8 year service life and wide-temperature operation.

Scenario questions

Frequently asked

How is the correct configuration decided for this type of project?
The configuration follows the photometric result, not a catalogue table. We take the road or area geometry, the mounting height under consideration and the lighting class the project must meet, then run a Dialux simulation and adjust wattage, optics, height and spacing until the target is reached.
What is the best mounting height for this scenario?
Mounting height is a function of road or area width and the required lighting class. Mast Lighting supplies 6m, 8m, 10m and 12m hot-dip galvanized poles and 20m to 60m high masts, so the height is selected from the calculation rather than from stock availability.
How long do the solar systems used in this scenario last?
LiFePO4 batteries carry a typical service life of 5 to 8 years and the complete solar street light carries a 3-year warranty. Systems operate between −40°C and 65°C with IP65/IP66 protection.
Can Mast Lighting supply the poles and structures as well as the luminaires?
Yes. Luminaires, hot-dip galvanized poles, high masts, traffic structures, photovoltaic modules and LiFePO4 storage are all manufactured in our own factory, so the complete package ships against one specification and one delivery schedule.
How much does a project of this type cost?
Cost is driven by wattage, battery and panel sizing, pole height and finish, quantity and destination. Mast Lighting sells factory-direct with independent export rights — send the project parameters and we return a configuration with pricing.

Other scenarios

Related lighting solutions

Municipal & Road Lighting

Compliant, energy-efficient illumination for urban arterials, residential streets, highways and rural roads — grid-powered or fully solar.

Traffic & Rail Transit

Signal poles, gantry structures and high-uniformity lighting for intersections, highway approaches, rail corridors and transit depots.

Smart City & Security

Connected lighting with dimming, remote monitoring and multi-function poles carrying cameras, sensors and communications equipment.

Request a quote or a free lighting design

Send us your road width, pole height, spacing and target lighting level. Our engineers return a Dialux simulation and a factory-direct quotation for the matching configuration.

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