Abstract
In Ontario, Canada—a region known for its long, frigid winters—public lighting faces severe challenges: heavy snowfall, short daylight hours, and grid instability frequently cause traditional streetlights to fail, compromising resident safety and city operations. This case study explores how deploying SRESKY’s THERMOS Series smart solar streetlights successfully overcame these obstacles. Equipped with an automatic heating system, efficient energy management, and self-cleaning solar panels, these lights deliver reliable and sustainable illumination. They not only reduce operational costs but also significantly enhance community safety and environmental sustainability.
I. Project Background and Needs Analysis
Ontario, Canada, located in northern North America, is renowned for its vast landscapes and unpredictable weather, with harsh winter conditions frequently testing the resilience of public infrastructure. The province’s winter season extends from November to April, with average temperatures often dropping below -10°C and reaching as low as -30°C or colder in extreme cases. Frequent blizzards and freezing rain cause snow and ice buildup on roads, drastically reducing nighttime visibility. This not only increases the risk of traffic accidents but also disrupts residents’ daily commutes and community activities.
Additionally, winter daylight hours are limited to 8–9 hours, with cloudy or snowy days accounting for up to 70% of the season. These factors pose significant challenges for solar-powered equipment.
The limitations of traditional lighting systems are evident.
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High operational costs: Extending grid cables across vast suburban areas, new communities, or remote trails requires substantial investment, while longer winter lighting periods inflate electricity bills.
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Grid dependency risks: Blizzards often cause power outages, rendering traditional streetlights inoperable and plunging roads into darkness—leading to increased risks of pedestrian slips or criminal incidents.
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Maintenance difficulties: Inspecting or replacing fixtures in snowy conditions is costly and hazardous.
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Environmental sustainability pressures: To align with Canada’s federal carbon neutrality goals, the Ontario government urgently requires clean energy solutions to reduce fossil fuel dependency and carbon emissions.
II. Technical Solution Design
To address Ontario’s unique challenges, the project team conducted multiple rounds of evaluation and ultimately selected the SRESKY THERMOS Series solar streetlights as the core solution. Designed for extreme environments, this series integrates multiple patented technologies—including the TCS Temperature Control System, ALS Adaptive Lighting System, and Automatic Solar Panel Cleaning—making it perfectly suited for high-latitude winter conditions.
Product specifications range from 4000 lm to 12000 lm, adaptable for various scenarios from sidewalks to main roads. Installation heights range from 4 m to 12 m, with optimal spacing of 18 m to 54 m to ensure uniform illumination coverage.
Core Technology Highlights and Adaptability Analysis
1. TCS (Temperature Control System) Technology
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Strategy: The THERMOS Series incorporates built-in lithium-ion battery packs with charging/discharging temperature ranges of 0 – 45°C / -20 – +60°C, critical for operation during blizzards at -20°C.
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Technical Value: Conventional lithium batteries often experience efficiency losses below 50% or fail completely at low temperatures. TCS technology resolves this industry challenge, significantly extending battery lifespan and ensuring stable operation throughout Canada’s harsh winters.
2. Solar Panel Auto-Cleaning System
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Countermeasure: An integrated side-brush design enables scheduled or sensor-triggered brushing to remove snow and dust accumulation, maintaining the cleanliness of high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar panels (> 23% efficiency).
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Technical Value: After heavy snowfall, solar panels can become snow-covered, halting power generation. The auto-cleaning system restores full power quickly after clear weather, extending effective charging time (8.2 h – 9.6 h) and ensuring continuous self-sufficient operation—an essential feature for Ontario’s snowy climate.
3. ALS (Adaptive Lighting System) Technology
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Countermeasure: Utilizing ALS 2.3 core technology, the system continuously monitors battery capacity and weather forecasts to automatically adjust output power. For example, brightness decreases during consecutive cloudy days to extend battery life. It supports multiple operating modes, including:
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M1: PIR sensing mode (30% base + 100% when motion detected)
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M2: Hybrid mode (100% for 5 h + 25% for 5 h PIR + 70% until dawn)
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M3: Constant-on mode (70% until dawn)
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Technical Value: Under low-light conditions, ALS extends illumination duration to over 10 days. As shown in brightness decay curves, light output remains more stable compared to non-ALS systems. Combined with a PIR sensor (120°, > 8 m detection range), it provides intelligent, demand-based lighting for further energy savings.
4. High-Efficiency Energy Conversion & Output
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Configuration: Uses OSRAM 3030 LED chips (96–336 pcs), achieving 230 lm/W luminous efficacy, 4000 K color temperature, and Ra > 70. Built from aluminum alloy and Panlite PC with IP65 waterproofing and IK08 impact resistance for durability.
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Value: Balances cost efficiency with performance—maximizing energy absorption under limited daylight while maintaining high brightness and low power consumption. The integrated Fault Alarm System (FAS) provides real-time operational monitoring for reliability.
III. Project Implementation and Deployment
Project execution began with comprehensive site surveys of installation points, assessing winter sunlight angles (optimizing south-facing tilt for solar panels), duration, and potential obstructions such as trees or buildings to ensure maximum solar energy capture.
Installation proved efficient thanks to the integrated design, which eliminates cable laying and minimizes challenges associated with frozen-ground construction.
During commissioning, personalized configurations were applied via the Super Remote or app:
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M3 constant-on mode for high-traffic roads
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M1 PIR sensing mode for pedestrian walkways
LED indicators displayed capacity status (flashing during charging, fading during discharge), simplifying maintenance. The installation process, completed in winter, shortened the overall project cycle by more than 30%.
IV. Risks and Mitigation Strategies
Risk 1: Extreme Blizzards or Freezing Rain
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Description: Continuous blizzards may temporarily overwhelm the cleaning system, causing ice buildup.
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Mitigation: Extended runtime (> 10 days) provides a buffer. The IP65/IK08 ratings ensure durability. ALS automatically switches to low-power mode to conserve energy, while manual cleaning can be performed when necessary.
Risk 2: Vandalism or Accidental Impact
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Description: Public installations are vulnerable to damage.
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Response: IK08 impact resistance withstands collisions; remote monitoring allows prompt responses; and the aluminum alloy housing enhances structural strength.
Conclusion
The Ontario winter lighting project demonstrates the exceptional performance of the SRESKY THERMOS Series in extreme environments and establishes a replicable model for sustainable lighting in high-latitude cities worldwide. Through three core technologies—automatic heating, self-cleaning, and intelligent energy management—this series overcomes traditional solar lighting limitations, achieving a remarkable balance of efficiency, reliability, and environmental responsibility.