Solar installation lights the way for shoppers

South African lighting solutions manufacturer BEKA Schréder completed the supply of a solar streetlight installation for a shopping centre in Alberton, Gauteng.

A total of 24 BEKA Schréder SOLARPOLEs were supplied to the Blue Crane Ridge Shopping Centre, in Meyersdal.

“The SOLARPOLE is an integrated light-emitting diode solar lighting solution and consists of a cylindrical solar module which is revolutionary in that the vertical solar panels use a cylindrical module to achieve a better aesthetic design, as well as excellent performance in wind resistance,” says BEKA Schréder senior sales consultant Johan Geldenhuys.

The photovoltaic process is optimised by the efficient vertical module, with six pieces of slim monocrystalline solar panel technology to maximise solar energy output.

“This, in turn, offers the best energy storage option and autonomy available on the market,” emphasises Geldenhuys.

To expand on this, a battery’s depth of discharge indicates the per-cent of the battery that has been discharged relative to the overall capacity of the battery.

Geldenhuys explains the shopping centre was being refurbished and required new lighting to navigate the challenges of loadshedding.

“The client wanted to light up the parking area without relying on the grid and make the centre safe and secure for patrons,” he adds.

There was no lighting in the parking area before the upgrade.

The SOLARPOLE was selected not only for its functionality but also its aesthetics, which suited the new modernised design of the centre.

The project was hassle free, as it was a new installation, and the lighting design complies with the required lux level for the parking area, he adds.

“The electrical contractor simply placed the SOLARPOLEs in the required positions using a standard surface-mounted pole installation, whereby the pole is bolted to a pole foundation at ground level, as per the lighting design.”

BEKA Schréder is proud of the first locally manufactured vertical SOLARPOLE to market, developed in 2020 and launched in 2021.

The post top version of the SOLARPOLE, using the KAZELLE luminaire, was selected for the centre’s lighting solution because it offers key advantages such as minimised upward lighting and decreased glare.

The SOLARPOLE is both reliable and efficient, and owing to its discreet form factor, it can be seen as a deterrent to vandalism, he explains.

“The SOLARPOLE, designed and manufactured in South Africa, is a cost-effective and efficient sustainable lighting solution proven to dramatically reduce energy consumption,” Geldenhuys concludes.