What if in the not too distant future the street lamps of our cities were powered by the sun and the wind? It already happens in China but a new idea comes from Spain. A scientist from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya has developed the first autonomous public lighting system that works with solar and wind energy
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
And if in the not too distant future i street lamps of our cities were powered by Sun and from vento? It already happens in China but a new idea comes from Spain. A scientist from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya developed the first autonomous public lighting system that works with solar and wind energy.
Ramon Bargalló he is a researcher belonging to the Department of Electrical Engineering and has made use of the collaboration of the company Eolgreen to make his idea possible. The system, developed after four years of research, was designed for suburban roads, highways, urban parks and other public areas. It is unique in the world of its kind, the creators assure, and is able to reduce the cost by 20% compared to conventional public lighting systems.
The prototype, pleasing to the eye, is 10 meters high and is equipped with a photovoltaic panel, a wind turbine and a battery. The turbine operates at a speed of 10 to 200 revolutions per minute (rpm) and has a maximum power of 400 watts. An electronic control system manages the flow of energy between the solar panel, the turbine, the battery and the light.
“It takes very little wind to produce energy. The developed generator is able to start working at a wind speed of only 1,7 meters per second, while current wind turbines need more than 2,5 m / s ”explained Ramon Bargalló.
The commercial version of the lamppost should feature two 100-watt polycrystalline panels, a series of 3500 or 4000 lumen Philips LEDs (depending on the model of the lamppost), and a lithium iron phosphate battery, which can store enough power to turn the lights on for up to 3,5 nights per charge.
The streetlights can operate both off-grid but also connected to the network and can send status updates via UHF to a central station, once every 30 minutes. This will allow administrators to detect any technical problems.
To date, Eolgreen ha signed agreements with the port of Huelva and the municipal authorities of Sant Boi de Llobregat, Girona and several cities in Andalusia. Over the course of this year, the company plans to produce 700 of these eco-friendly street lights.
But the goal of the developers is to make this efficient lighting system even more ecological, so they are working on a second prototype that runs at a lower speed (10 to 60 rpm) and has a lower output (100 W). . So, the amount of energy produced and stored would be even greater, guaranteeing up to 6 nights of light with a single charge, even in the absence of wind and sun.
Francesca Mancuso
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