Pushing into solar-powered lighting with street lighting projects

Approximately 17% of the global population has no light after sunset, i.e. more than one billion people on this planet have no grid connection. Philips Lighting invests in relevant lighting technology and expertise to improve lives and enable communities to grow. The company has raised awareness about the role of renewable solar lighting in sustainability, including its contribution to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal number 7 by making cities and communities safe and green.

This focus on sustainability inspired Philips Lighting to launch Philips SunStay, an all-in-one integrated solar street light, in India earlier this year. This street light combines the solar panel, luminaire, charge controller and battery in one housing, thus making it compact and easy to install and maintain. This also saves on cabling costs and reduces the carbon footprint, thereby lowering overall capex and opex cost. With an output of 2,000 lumens and an efficacy of 175lm/W, it is more efficient compared with existing systems in the solar street lighting market. Philips SunStay will be launched globally in the second quarter of 2018.

Extending light after dark
To enable access to lighting and power off-grid communities, Philips Lighting launched the PhilipsLifeLight solar lantern in India in December 2017. Along with a USB port for charging phones and other devices, LifeLight comes with a replaceable new generation battery, which extends its life far beyond its two years warranty.

“Lack of light after dark is the single largest factor making women feel unsafe in their communities. Introducing the Philips LifeLight to off-grid areas is helping transform the lives of people in these communities. It extends their day for commercial activity, education, and community life. The replaceable battery feature is highly valued by end customers,” said Shalini Sarin, Head of CSR at Philips Lighting. “On top of bringing light to off-grid communities, replacing kerosene-powered lamps with solar-powered lanterns is saving lives. According to a World Bank report, every year 1.5 million people die due to woodfires, kerosene or candles. This amounts to twice the population of Frankfurt.”

Thousands of lights in the sky
To increase the safety of citizens and help rural communities, Philips Lighting will install approximately 84,000 solar street lights in India. Together with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), an energy service company of the Government of India, the company will install 60,000 Solar Smart Bright street lights in off-grid villages in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Assam. The company is also providing Uttar Pradesh New & Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) with 24,000 Solar Green Lightline Smart street lights in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

“Installing solar street lighting in rural communities in India really enhances lives after sunset,” said Sumit Joshi, Market Leader for India at Philips Lighting. “Citizens feel safer and it allows children in these communities to play in the streets after dark.”

In Bangkok, Thailand, Philips Lighting has successfully installed more than 700 sets of Philips Solar RMU (remote monitoring unit) street lights with tele-management capabilities, located at the cycling facility near the main airport in Bangkok, Suvarnbhumi. Thanks to the tele-management functionality, facility managers can remotely monitor and manage the lights, which also provide them with useful data for energy management and solar applications.