Solar lighting specialist manufacturer Prolectric has launched the ProLight, said to be the first reliable year-round temporary solar lighting tower. With no noise, no fuel and no emissions, it represents a step-change opportunity for contractors in the battle to reduce carbon and improve air quality on development and infrastructure projects.
According to the firm, compelling evidence of the carbon savings offered by this smart, clean, cost-effective and easy-to-use technology has already been gathered through operation with Tier 1 contractors on major construction projects, including the A14, Battersea Power Station, and M1 Smart Motorway as well as units on a number of major UK airports. Further endorsement has come though the inclusion of the ProLight in the May 2017 Speedy Hire catalogue, in which it is heavily promoted.
The ProLight is described as revolutionary because, says the firm, it can operate reliably even in winter conditions and when daylight hours are limited. Its digital remote monitoring and control function enables on/off settings to be adjusted to suit the light conditions. With the data collected, the light’s performance and carbon emissions can be measured, tracked and reported, either by contractors themselves or by Prolectric’s monitoring service.
Prolectric was seemingly the first company to introduce solar-only permanent street lights to the UK market in 2011 and there are now with more than 3,000 units installed nationally.
Managing Director Chris Williams and Commercial Director Tim Brooks are the “driving forces” behind Prolectric, a Somerset-based manufacturing business that has specialised in solar lighting and renewable energy for the past six years. Says Chris Williams: “We applied our experience in solar street lighting, to develop a trailer light with a 1,320W capacity – three times that of any other solar light previously available. We spent more than 12 months developing and testing a light that can operate reliably all year round, even in challenging winter conditions. We built in digital remote monitoring and control and launched our own web portal, so the light’s reliable performance in not only plain to see, but can be built into environmental and CSR reports.”
“Interest in the ProLight from the construction industry has been phenomenal in just the first few months since it has been available. Contractors can hire or purchase the lights and seem to really like the fact that it is a ‘fit and forget’ asset without the dirty job of refuelling that leaves staff free to be deployed to other duties.
“Because it makes no noise and does not emit any fumes, the ProLight is particularly useful on projects in urban environments or close to residential areas. For larger construction projects we can provide hard data for contractor’s environmental teams to demonstrate how much the solar lighting has contributed to carbon reduction, compared to using more conventional diesel or hybrid alternatives.”
Wider uptake of ProLight would make a valuable contribution to Government 2050 and Construction 2025 targets, as well as the requirements of the EU Non-Road Mobile Machinery Directive. The evidence suggests that up to 15,000 tonnes of CO2 could be saved annually simply if 20% of the current diesel lighting fleet were exchanged to solar.
The Prolectric ProLight comprises a specially-developed trailer-mounted unit with heavy-duty, deep-cycle batteries, an array of four 330W solar panels, a 7.5m telescopic mast and four LED lights which are capable of 550m2 coverage at a minimum Lux level of 20 and a 10,000 to 40,000 lumens output.
The ProLight’s high-power 1,320W capacity is three times that of other temporary solar tower lights on the market. Even on winter days with 12 hours of darkness, the unit operates consistently and reliably.
