In September 2016 the Danish municipality of Tønder purchased 5 sets of Skyline solar cell columns for installation at bus stops in the rural areas of the municipality.
Bus stops in the countryside are often located far away from the next electricity grid. Therefore, it can be an expensive affair to dug over several hundreds of electricity cables to light up at a single bus stop.
The Tønder Municipality has chosen to place 4,5 meter high, self-sufficient solar cell columns as an alternative to traditional bus stop lighting. The columns are equipped with motion sensors which reduce the light to 10% when there are no waiting passengers at the bus stops. This solution is a so-called Plug n ‘Play solution, where everything is mounted at the factory ready for the burial of the supplied concrete foundation. The battery box with a 2,4 KWh battery capacity is located underground, next to the column to ensure easy access to the battery.
The LED luminaire is of the type Siteco SL10 Micro. It has a brightness of 1520 lumens at the maximum level.
Energy production and lighting management are carried out by the Priess Light Column Controller (LCC). With its advanced technology the PRIESS LCC gathers the most possible of the solar panel’s energy during daytime. Further it ensures the correct turn on and turn off of the LED luminaire during the changing seasons.
Solar cell columns with vertically integrated solar cells differ significantly from traditional solar panels by being maintenance-free as leaves, snow and dirt do not settle on the solar panel, thus hampering energy production.