For small facilities where the logistic of bringing electricity to the dock isn’t feasible there is good news, your options for solar powered lights are improving. But don’t get your hopes up for running an entire marina’s lighting needs on solar lights, it is not in the cards quite yet.
Pole mounted, solar powered lights at Townsville Recreational Boating Park in North Queensland, Australia enabled the city to provide safe access during non-daylight hours without the need for running power down to the docks.
A marina’s lights serve two main functions. The first and most important function is safety. There are codes and regulations that govern lighting requirements for marinas and boat yards to ensure the docks and upland areas are well lit. The second function is that of aesthetics and user comfort. Many marinas add supplementary lighting to improve the user experience and to create a warm and inviting atmosphere for their tenants.
As we discussed in our previous blog post about alternative energy sources, different facilities have different incentives in mind when researching alternative power source options. The same is true for solar lighting.
Whether a facility is considering solar lighting for economic, environmental or power accessibility reasons there are five things to keep in mind.