| Lighting Application | Identify whether the area is a local road, pathway, parking area, residential street, campus, park, or security zone. | Required illuminance varies by traffic volume, pedestrian activity, safety requirements, and local regulations. | Select the lighting class before choosing the luminaire output. Avoid sizing the system only by wattage. | Confirm the project requirements with the applicable local lighting standard and authority. |
| Target Illuminance | Determine the average horizontal illuminance required at ground level and the acceptable uniformity. | Low-use paths may require approximately 3–10 lux; residential roads and parking areas commonly require approximately 5–20 lux. Exact values depend on the applicable standard. | Use a photometric layout to verify average illuminance, minimum illuminance, glare, and uniformity. | Check that trees, parked vehicles, walls, and nearby buildings will not create excessive dark areas. |
| Illumination Area | Measure road width, pathway width, parking-bay arrangement, intersection areas, and locations requiring higher light levels. | Lighting coverage is determined by mounting height, beam distribution, pole spacing, and required uniformity. | Choose a narrow, medium, or wide beam distribution according to the area geometry. | Place poles to avoid light being blocked by structures or directed into windows and neighboring properties. |
| Pole Height | Assess the required mounting height in relation to road width, pole spacing, glare control, and wind exposure. | Small pathways often use approximately 3–6 m poles; roads and larger open areas may use approximately 6–12 m poles. | Use a higher pole for wider coverage only when the luminaire optics and structural design support it. | Verify foundation depth, underground utilities, overhead lines, and access for installation equipment. |
| Pole Spacing | Estimate the distance between poles and check for dark zones between adjacent light distributions. | A preliminary spacing-to-mounting-height ratio is often about 2.5:1 to 4:1, but photometric verification is required. | Adjust spacing based on the actual light distribution, road width, required uniformity, and pole arrangement. | Review both staggered and single-side layouts where road width or obstructions make regular spacing unsuitable. |
| Solar Resource | Evaluate monthly peak sun hours, seasonal cloud cover, shading, latitude, and panel orientation. | Solar resource varies by location and season; annual averages must not replace the lowest-sunlight-period assessment. | Size the photovoltaic module using the worst or design-critical solar month rather than the annual average alone. | Keep the module free from shadows during the main solar collection period, normally around late morning to mid-afternoon. |
| Required Nightly Runtime | Define the time the light must operate each night and whether dimming or motion-based control will be used. | Common operating requirements are approximately 10–12 hours per night, depending on latitude and local sunset conditions. | Use a controller with programmable schedules, dimming profiles, or motion sensors when the application permits energy reduction. | Confirm that the control schedule matches the actual sunset, sunrise, traffic, and security requirements. |
| Autonomy Requirement | Determine how many consecutive low-sunlight nights the system must operate without sufficient solar charging. | Approximately 2–5 nights of autonomy is commonly considered during preliminary design; local weather conditions may require more. | Increase battery capacity, reduce lighting load, or use adaptive dimming when longer autonomy is needed. | Provide adequate ventilation or thermal protection according to the battery technology and enclosure design. |
| LED Load and Efficiency | Assess luminaire power, optical efficiency, efficacy, operating hours, and dimming losses. | Modern outdoor LED luminaires commonly provide approximately 100–180 lumens per watt, depending on the complete luminaire design. | Choose the lowest electrical load that achieves the required photometric performance, rather than selecting the highest wattage. | Confirm thermal management, ingress protection, surge protection, and expected lumen maintenance. |
| Battery Capacity | Calculate energy required for nightly operation, autonomy, temperature effects, depth of discharge, and system losses. | Basic energy demand can be estimated as: LED power × nightly operating hours. The battery must also cover conversion and reserve losses. | Use a battery management system and avoid routinely designing around the battery's full nameplate capacity. | Install the battery where flooding, excessive heat, physical impact, and unauthorized access are minimized. |
| Wind and Structural Load | Assess basic wind speed, exposure category, pole height, panel area, luminaire weight, and local structural requirements. | Wind design must follow the applicable national or regional structural code; a universal pole size is not suitable for every site. | Specify the pole, arm, bracket, foundation, and panel mounting system as one structural assembly. | Check soil bearing capacity, anchor-bolt arrangement, foundation dimensions, and corrosion protection. |
| Weather and Environment | Consider rain, snow, dust, salt spray, humidity, temperature range, flooding, and corrosive atmospheres. | Outdoor equipment is commonly selected with an enclosure rating appropriate to the exposure; coastal and dusty sites require additional protection. | Specify suitable corrosion-resistant materials, coatings, seals, drainage, and temperature-rated components. | Prevent water accumulation inside the pole, battery cabinet, controller housing, and cable entry points. |
| Glare and Light Spill | Evaluate viewing angles for drivers, pedestrians, residents, and nearby properties. | Glare control depends on mounting height, optics, tilt angle, shielding, and source luminance. | Use cut-off optics, appropriate shielding, accurate aiming, and lower output where excessive brightness is unnecessary. | Conduct a nighttime inspection after installation and correct unwanted light spill or direct glare. |
| Maintenance Access | Review cleaning, battery replacement, controller access, inspection frequency, and availability of service equipment. | Solar lighting systems should be inspected periodically for dirt, shading, corrosion, loose connections, and battery condition. | Select modular components and accessible enclosures to reduce service time and lifecycle cost. | Maintain safe clearance from traffic and provide a practical method for servicing elevated components. |
| Site and Regulatory Constraints | Check property boundaries, underground utilities, drainage, right-of-way limits, heritage restrictions, and permitting requirements. | Setback distances, foundation requirements, electrical rules, and light pollution limits vary by jurisdiction. | Complete a site survey and obtain required approvals before finalizing the pole position and system specification. | Mark utility routes and confirm that the pole does not obstruct sidewalks, emergency access, signs, or vehicle visibility. |
| Final System Verification | Verify lighting performance, charging behavior, battery reserve, controller settings, and structural stability. | Acceptance testing should compare measured results with the approved lighting design and applicable standards. | Document photometric results, operating schedule, component ratings, inspection records, and maintenance instructions. | Perform both daytime installation checks and nighttime illumination checks before handover. |
