Solarlite (solar-powered street lighting)
Solarlite is a company that all councils and town planners should have on speed dial. It provides street lighting for many areas, but the difference is that it’s all solar-based and designed to be not just safe for humans, but also for wildlife as it’s designed to avoid light pollution.
Light pollution is a serious issue. As well as causing birds to fly into windows (from areas lit-up all night near glass), it can cause insects to swirl around lampposts (which means less food for birds and bats).
And can cause birds to wake up at the wrong time, and start singing at midnight to attract a mate, which affects breeding and survival rates.
Report lampposts that don’t go off (and other light pollution) to Fix My Street. These complaints are made public before being sent to councils, so tend to get sorted pretty quickly.
Designed for roads, paths and rural routes, these lights use the power of the sun to safely light up areas for safety. And because they are activated by the sun, councils save massively on electricity bills.
The three main lights offered are:
- Flush studs (these are embedded in highways, junctions and rural roads, for visibility of up to 900 metres. Offers 10 times better visibility than traditional retro-reflective studs (‘cat’s eyes’). Reduces accidents by over 70%.
- Surface studs (these are quick to install for temporary or retrofit needs, again delivering 900 metre visibility). Decreases night time accidents by over 70%.
- Path studs (these provide low-glare illumination for pedestrian and cycle routes). Designed as low-light, to be bat-friendly!
Councils and town planners can use the onsite calculator to work out many to buy, to figure out costs beforehand. And then of course you can factor in savings, from free solar power. There are also solutions for safe level crossings, near trains.
