A comprehensive guide to solar billboards, covering design, installation, usage, and environmental benefits.
1. Overview
Solar billboards are advertising display devices that utilize solar energy as their power source. They are characterized by their green energy efficiency, environmental friendliness, economic benefits, and stability, making them suitable for long-term use in outdoor environments. This article aims to provide detailed guidance on the design, installation, and usage of solar billboards to ensure optimal performance and effectiveness under various environmental conditions.
2. Design Principles
- Energy Utilization Efficiency: Ensure that solar photovoltaic panels can efficiently convert natural light into electricity, which is stored in batteries to meet the power needs of the billboards.
- Structural Safety: The structural design of the billboard must comply with relevant international and national standards to ensure stability and safety under various environmental conditions.
- Environmental Adaptability: The billboard should be designed to be dustproof, waterproof, and resistant to solar radiation to avoid damage during long-term outdoor use.
- Intelligent Control: Implement remote control and real-time monitoring through IoT technology to enhance management convenience and efficiency.
3. Core Components
Solar Photovoltaic Panels
- Function: Convert natural light into electricity to power the billboards.
- Selection: Choose high-efficiency, durable monocrystalline or polycrystalline photovoltaic panels.
- Installation: Panels should be installed on the top or side of the billboard to maximize sunlight exposure.
Batteries
- Function: Store electrical energy converted from solar power to provide power to the billboard at night or during rainy weather.
- Selection: Opt for high-capacity, long-lifespan lead-acid or lithium-ion batteries.
- Installation: Batteries should be housed in waterproof, well-ventilated enclosures to ensure safety and stability.
LED Lights
- Function: Provide illumination and display effects for the billboard.
- Selection: Choose bright, energy-efficient LED lights, such as red LEDs (wavelength 620 nm) and green LEDs (wavelength 520 nm).
- Installation: LED lights should be evenly distributed on the billboard surface to ensure uniform brightness.
Microcontroller Control System
- Function: Automatically adjust the brightness of the LED lights based on feedback from environmental light sensors and facilitate power switching.
- Selection: Choose stable-performance, low-power microcontrollers, such as the STM32 series.
- Installation: The control system should be placed inside the billboard to ensure it is protected from external environmental factors.
Environmental Light Sensors
- Function: Monitor surrounding light levels in real-time, providing data to the control system.
- Selection: Opt for highly sensitive and fast-responding environmental light sensors.
- Installation: Sensors should be placed on the top or side of the billboard to accurately monitor environmental brightness.
4. Solar Billboards Structural Design
Dustproof, Waterproof, and UV Resistant Design
- Enclosure Structure: The LED light box should have a simple, smooth exterior and adequate drainage holes to manage accumulated water.
- Material Selection: Use corrosion-resistant metals and weather-resistant non-metal materials to ensure long-term durability.
- Coating Treatment: Apply organic insulating paint or metallic coatings to enhance dustproof, waterproof, and UV protection capabilities.
Vibration Resistance and Impact Resistance Design
- Enhance Structural Strength: Increase stiffness and strength of the structure to ensure stability under wind, rain, and hail conditions.
- Local Reinforcement: Install reinforcements at component joints and connections, and add dampers where necessary.
Wind Resistance Design
- Basic Wind Pressure: Determine basic wind pressure based on local wind speeds, terrain, and geography (e.g., based on ASCE 7 standards in the U.S. and EN 1991-1-4 standards in Europe).
- Wind Load Shape Coefficient: Choose an appropriate wind load shape coefficient for the billboard to ensure safety under high wind conditions.
- Pole Design: The pole’s base must be designed to ensure its bending and pull-out resistance, with reliable foundation design through pull-out and sliding calculations.
5. Electrical Safety
Electrical System Design
- Conformance to Standards: The electrical system should comply with international standards (e.g., ISO 15408) and specific national standards (e.g., UL 1703 in the U.S., EN 13201 in Europe).
- Insulation Performance: Ensure good insulation performance to prevent leakage and short circuits.
- Grounding Protection: Implement grounding protection according to relevant standards to ensure electrical system safety and reliability.
Power Switching Function
- Smart Switching: Use the microcontroller control system for intelligent switching between solar and grid power, ensuring continuous power supply during extreme weather conditions.
- Switching Threshold: Set a reasonable power switching threshold so that when the battery charge drops below a specific level, it automatically switches to grid power.
6. Solar Billboards Brightness Adjustment
Automatic Brightness Adjustment System
- Environmental Light Sensors: Install sensors to monitor surrounding brightness levels in real-time.
- Microcontroller Control System: Automatically adjust the brightness of the LED lights based on feedback from the sensors to maintain optimal brightness under varying conditions.
- Brightness Adjustment Range: Typically, the adjustment ranges from fully off to fully on with 256 levels to ensure uniform brightness.
Avoiding Glare
- Reasonable Fixture Selection: Choose fixtures designed to minimize glare, such as those with shades.
- Diffusing Materials: Use diffusing materials like frosted or opal glass to reduce direct glare.
- Fixture Installation Position: Properly arrange fixtures to avoid mirror-like reflections in the field of view.
7. Energy-Saving Measures
Efficient Light Sources: Use high-efficiency light sources such as LED lights, compact fluorescent lamps, and thin-tube fluorescent lamps to improve luminous efficacy and lower energy consumption.
- Specific Energy Saving Data: LED lights save about 70% compared to incandescent lamps; compact fluorescent lamps save 10% compared to standard fluorescent lamps; and thin tube fluorescent lamps save 10% compared to standard fluorescent lamps.
Intelligent Control System
- Automatic On/Off: Automatically switch the billboard’s lighting on and off based on ambient light levels to avoid unnecessary energy consumption.
- Time-Based Control: Set time-based controls according to usage hours and pedestrian traffic, lowering brightness after 10 PM when traffic is minimal.
- Localized Lighting: Implement localized lighting in different areas of the billboard, providing illumination only where necessary to avoid excessive brightness throughout.
Make Full Use of Reflection
- High Reflective Materials: Use high reflective materials, such as white surfaces with reflection coefficients of 70% to 80%, to improve light utilization and reduce energy consumption.
- Reflective Backing: Employ reflective backing inside the billboard, such as aluminum-plastic panels, to enhance light reflectivity, allowing for more uniform distribution and reducing fixture demand.
8. Solar Billboards Installation and Maintenance
Installation Steps
- Site Selection: Choose a location with ample sunlight and a clear line of sight for the billboard installation.
- Foundation Construction: Ensure the foundation meets relevant standards, with adequate depth and pull-out/sliding calculations performed.
- Pole Installation: The pole should be installed in an easily noticeable location, with a height of 1.5 to 3.0 m above the ground.
- Photovoltaic Panel Installation: Panels should be mounted on adjustable brackets to accommodate changes in sunlight angles.
Maintenance
- Regular Inspections: Conduct regular checks of the billboard’s electrical systems and structure to ensure normal operation.
- Cleaning Photovoltaic Panels: Periodically clean the solar panels to maintain optimal sunlight reception efficiency.
- Battery Maintenance: Regularly check the charging status of the batteries to ensure sufficient power supply during rainy or nighttime conditions.
9. Environmental Benefits
Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction: Solar billboards utilize solar energy, reducing reliance on traditional power sources, saving significant energy every year.
- Specific Data: Assuming each LED billboard operates 18 hours daily, it saves 1.8 kW·h per day, which translates to approximately 611.1 RMB in annual electricity savings.
- Pollution Reduction: The use of solar billboards can decrease the consumption of standard coal, thus lowering carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxide emissions.
- Specific Data: An individual unit can save 398.1 kg of coal annually, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 1035.06 kg, sulfur dioxide emissions by 9.55 kg, and nitrogen oxides by 2.78 kg.
10. Future Development Trends
- Intelligenization: With the advancement of IoT technology, future solar billboards will become more intelligent, enabling more refined management and control.
- Multifunctionality: Solar billboards can serve additional purposes beyond advertising, such as environmental monitoring and information dissemination, increasing their utility in urban settings.
- Widespread Adoption: With advances in solar technology and reduced costs, solar billboards are expected to see more widespread application in various cities and regions, becoming integral parts of modern urban landscapes.
Conclusion
Solar billboards, with their efficient energy utilization, intelligent control systems, and environmentally friendly design concepts, have become an essential development direction in the outdoor advertising industry. Through proper structural design, rigorous construction management, and comprehensive quality control, the international competitiveness of solar billboards can be significantly enhanced. We hope this guide provides valuable references to help you design and install high-quality solar billboards.