Agamine Solar, a Morocco-based solar integrated streetlight manufacturer, has launched Gamma, its new programmable off-grid LED lighting system that provides up to 23,040 lumens.
The system is suitable for roadways, industrial sites, intersections, pedestrian areas, and parking lots. All four versions of Gamma, have an efficiency of 198 lm/W and programmable lighting control.
The Gamma model features Agamine Solar’s glass-glass cylindrical solar module installed vertically on 180 mm diameter poles integrated with a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery and controller technology.
Made for projects that range in size from a small parking lot or memorial garden to much larger off-grid roadway infrastructure development programs, the Gamma comes in four sizes with optional features to meet local climate conditions, pole spacing requirements, and degree of remote accessibility.
The Gamma Single, the smallest based on a single PV module, provides 11,880 lm with a height range of 6.5 to 10 m. The largest, Gamma Double HP, provides 23,040 lm at a height of 13 m.
“We customize our products for every location, and the strategy for autonomy we agree with the client,” Bernhard Kolk, Agamine’s chief technology officer, told pv magazine.
Spacing options between the Gamma streetlights can be from 32 m to 50 m. “The ability to effectively support large distances between units, gives Agamine Solar a competitive advantage on a project basis,” said Kolk, noting that customers are located in diverse markets, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Germany, U.K., the U.S, and Japan.
A single Agamine Solar module is 218 W, weighs 22kg, and measures 2.2 m long and 180 mm in diameter. The panels have 6 mm borosilicate glass supplied by Germany-based glass manufacturer Schott Group and come with an anti-reflective coating. Made with full-size monocrystalline silicon cells, they have an efficiency of at least 24%, according to Kolk.
Gamma has tailored auto start/stop lighting times and dimming profiles. A battery supporting temperatures up to 75 C is standard with options to upgrade it to handle extremely cold or extremely hot temperatures. Remote support for configuration and lighting control is also optional. The poles are steel hot dip galvanized with powder coating, a 20-year anti-corrosion warranty, with a secure anti-vandal pole door.
Founded in 2015, Agamine Solar has research and development locations in Germany and Austria, with solar PV module production at its 50,000 m2 factory in Morocco, and additional streetlight assembly plants in Saudi Arabia and Australia.
When asked about how Agamine Solar’s technology compares to earlier tube-shaped solar modules, Kolk said that the choices of materials and design must overcome shortcomings of earlier PV-powered streetlight designs, such as those with flat solar panel technology, or those with open edges, or non-glass covers. “We design our product to have long lifecycles, over 20 years, with high performing light, and to be flexible and upgradable to fit for future requirements,” said Kolk.
Looking ahead, expanded functionality is planned. For example, integrating road safety devices, such as intersection signal lights, or warning displays that are triggered by traffic noise sensors, or security cameras. Other emerging trends: integrating telecommunications services, such as smartphone recharging or Wifi hotspot services, and adding grid-connectivity in hybrid PV streetlights that meet community needs for CO2 reduction and energy efficiency.
