How does SLS® Solar Hybrid Module works
Solar panels capture sunlight during the day. This dense and natural energy source produces electricity, which is stored in a battery. This energy is released as light at nightfall through low-energy LEDs.
The automatic switching-on system of the SLS module further heightens its performance. The photosensitive cell integrated into the photovoltaic panel allows for immediate lighting as soon as light levels drop. The solar light is therefore able to operate autonomously without outside intervention.
SLS module are equipped with an “override” button if ambient lighting blocks this photosensitive cell.
Module Components
A solar panel
The panel is composed of two layers of silicon crystals. When the electrons in the silicon are exposed to light, they vibrate about their mean position in conformity with the laws of thermodynamics. This movement causes heat energy, which is transformed into electricity.
The composition of these two layers of silicon crystals is actually highly sophisticated. Since the first layer has fewer electrons it is positively charged relative to the second, which is negatively charged; the difference in energy between + and - creates a movement of particles transferred to the silicon atoms.
This movement generates energy which is transformed into electricity. The denser the light, the greater the movement and the faster the battery is fully charged. The solar light to energy conversion effciency is between 15% and 23%. This phenomenon is called the PHOTOVOLTAICS.
Batteries
The batteries are composed of electrodes (anode and cathode) that create a chemical reaction from which energy is stored in a storage cell before being released.
LED
LEDs are supplied by light-emitting diodes. Besides a long service life of around 100,000 hours, they use very little electricity, emit a fairly small amount of ultraviolet light and attract fewer insects due to the absence of heat emissions.
Solar Lighting: Two Centuries of global research
Photovoltaics were originally observed in 1839 by French physicist Edmond Becquerel. He was the first to identify what was then called the “photoelectric effect” on cells exposed to sunlight. Eighty years later, in 1922, Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize for his studies into technology applicable to the photoelectric effect.
English engineer Henry Joseph Round was the first to observe the phenomenon of light emission in 1907, which eventually lead to the development of the LED. In 1927, the Russian scientist Oleg Losev filed the earliest patent for a light-emitting diode. More than forty years later, American engineer Nick Holonyak, a General Electric employee, invented the original usable LED lightbulb.
Advantages
Enjoying low operating costs, the autonomous solar lights produced by SLS module offer a unique and wide range of advantages. As simple to use as they are easy to move, these lights are maintenance-free, wireless, reliably safe and guaranteed waterproof. Since they do not need to be plugged into the mains electricity supply, they are convenient for use in isolated indoor and outdoor areas. Producing an efficient amount of light, solar lights in the SLS module range do not produce light pollution and have a near-zero impact on the environment.
