Designed for grid connection.
As far as we know, the Scotia SunMast is the first solar street light designed to collect and feed energy back into the power network. The philosophy has been to turn a streetlight system into a net generator of clean, renewable electricity. The mast produces electricity by day and only imports it when needed by night.
Fail-safe system. Not dependant on batteries or
weather conditions.
Because the SunMast is connected to the grid, it can be considered a fail-safe system even for critical applications such as road lighting. It doesn't depend on batteries, and therefore isn't limited by power capacity or the need for regular maintenance.
Outstanding low light behaviour for improved energy yield.
The SunMast uses a new type of PV solar cell especially developed for lower-light applications and integration into vertical structures. The cells are described by makers Q-Cells as having 'outstanding low light behaviour' - a term that refers to their ability to work with indirect light under cloudy conditions or with sunlight arriving at an oblique angle to the surface of the cells.
Lighting without CO2 emissions.
The SunMast helps achieve the environmental goal of zero-emission lighting by generating its own clean, solar electricity. Integrated into the body of an 8m mast are 480Wp of highly efficient solar cells. Depending on how much energy is expended on lighting, each SunMast has the potential to enable a 'zero energy' or even 'energy plus' lighting system.
Open for use with any type of outdoor lamp or luminaire.
One of the central design tenets of the mast was that it should be compatible with any type of existing - or indeed future - lamp technology. The SunMast is as an 'open source' design allowing engineers and designers to choose the most suitable type of light for the application rather than be limited by a factory default. The mast can also be paired with existing stocks so that older functioning lamp heads can be re-used.
Low-maintenance solution
The SunMast uses stable, long-lasting technology with no moving parts. Photovoltaics are known to be a highly reliable technology that will still provide over 80% of the initial power after 25 years.
Clean, seamless design
The SunMast doesn't look like a solar streetlight - and neither is it meant to. Our starting point was to design a mast that wouldn't look out of place in any urban context. All functions are integrated into a single, slender form without any frills or bolt-ons.
Available in five mast heights: 4m, 5m, 7m, 8m and 10m
A number of heights are available to suit various lighting tasks for roads, paths, parks and public areas. The higher the mast the more power it can produce; a 10m mast will generate well over 350 kWh a year and therefore can be matched with higher wattage lamps. Shorter masts produce less electricity but also require less energy for lower-level lighting.
Made from recyclable materials
The SunMast can be recycled as the materials used in production (silicon, glass and aluminium) can be reused. Recycling is not only beneficial for the environment but also for helping to reduce the energy needed to produce those materials and the cost of fabrication. More information on recycling PVs can be found at http://www.pvcycle.org.