A comparative analysis of photovoltaic street lighting systems installed in Thailand

This paper presents a comparative analysis of photovoltaic (PV) street lighting system in three different lamps. Namely, a low pressure sodium lamp a high pressure sodium lamp and a fluorescent lamp have been used for installation in each mast to determine the suitable system to install in a typical rural area of Thailand. All three systems have been mounted with the same module type and wattage in different places within the Rajamangala Institute of Technology, Thanyaburi district, Pathumthani province of Thailand. An operation of solar street lighting system can be divided into 2 period of time, namely, at 18.00-22.00 hours and 05.00-06.00 hours. The design of a control circuit was experimentally done in this work. Protection of the battery from damage for deep discharge and overcharge by a controller was also considered. The life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) is the appropriate method for comparing three different lamps. The present worth of each system can be compared and the least cost option selected. LCCA was based on the key assumptions (year 2002). The results of comparative analysis of the PV street lighting systems with a fluorescent lamp has been the appropriate system for installation in a typical rural area of Thailand when the cost of lamps, system performance and possibility for purchasing the components of the system have been considered.