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Location: Dongara, Shire of Irwin, Western Australia
Product: Custom PowerStack 9m pole with bespoke 1.9m light arm and We-ef VFL540 luminaire
Date/Year: 2023
Project Partners: Shire of Irwin, HI Lighting, Peak Consultants and We-ef lighting
Project: Dongara, in the Shire of Irwin, Western Australia, had a number of ‘dark spots’ at important intersections or pedestrian crossings, where they wanted to deploy additional lighting.
The lighting would enhance illumination, increasing safety for all road and path users. Ideally they were looking for a sustainable solution.
Challenge: Whilst there was existing electrical infrastructure in the vicinity, accessing this would have been very costly and time-consuming. Plus, grid-supply is typically coal-fired power and not sustainable.
They needed something grid-independent, but large enough and flexible enough to be compatible with the desired lighting design. And, because the lighting poles were to be in elevated areas, they’d need to be able to withstand strong winds.
The solution: PowerStack worked with lighting designers HI Lighting and Peak Consultants to create a bespoke solution that would provide eco friendly lighting, completely independent of the grid.
The 9m vertical solar poles were installed with a bespoke 1.9m light arm that was designed to integrate with the pole system. Attached to this were the We-ef VFL540 luminaires.
The full integrated, modular PowerStack system acts as a micro-grid, using solar energy to power electrical infrastructure without the need for digging, trenching or cabling.
Because of their ‘off-grid’ nature, each PowerStack system could be installed quickly and efficiently, without the need for sustained disruption to the community or environment. No trenching, no cabling, and none of the regulatory requirements or paperwork associated with traditional grid supply and extension.
"PowerStack product stands above all other offers for solar solutions in street lighting and carpark lighting. Most solar products require the use of an overhead panel which is quite unsightly, harder to clean, and becomes a hazard in high wind areas.”
PowerStack’s vertical, modular design enables maximised sun capture for each location. The vertical panels mean the pole is harvesting sunlight from sun up to sun down. Unlike traditional flat angle solar, which only captures during high sun hours, and is vulnerable to overheating causing a loss of efficiency during this time.
Each PowerStack system is selected based on the mid-winter sun hours for that location. So based on your running wattage, and the sun hours for your site on the shortest day of the year, we’ll work with you to decide which pole you need. The result is reliable off-grid power all year round.
Tested against the extremes of temperature and weather in both Australia and the USA, PowerStack is designed to be incredibly hardwearing. The solar panels are made of a special polymer and being glassless, are shatterproof. This makes them a sturdy, reliable choice for areas with high winds, and with no flat angled panel to to act as a wind sail, they’re more practical than many ‘traditional solar’ alternatives.
For more information on how the PowerStack systems are designed and what you can power with them, please GET IN TOUCH. For a full list of PowerStack suppliers, see the ‘Where to Buy’ page.
PowerStack is proud to work in collaboration with the technology brands and devices we work with, and everyone else across the project from the integrator, to end users and distribution or channel partners.
PowerStack vertical solar can be used to power a number of different technologies including security cameras, IoT sensors, lighting, help points and wi-fi networks. Aside from reliable power supply, vertical solar has numerous benefits for both the integrator and the end user. Here are a few of the key features that made PowerStack a standout for this project.
Reliable green energy that enables power supply in areas that grid power can’t reach. Providing 24/7 uptime, totally off-grid.
Rugged, weatherproof design with shatterproof, fire resistant, glassless solar panels.
100% off-grid electrical energy supply, more sustainable than the grid and coal-fired power.
Brand and technology agnostic, giving choice and flexibility to the designer and end user, in function and finished look.
Contact our friendly team to find out more.