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The communities in the Muyexe, Dingamanzi and Gonono townships in the Giyani district now have access to street lighting to improve safety and security in the area
The communities in the Muyexe, Dingamanzi and Gonono townships in the Giyani district now have access to street lighting to improve safety and security in the area. The Department of Rural Development and Land Reform recently undertook to increase basic service delivery, such as water, electricity, and proper roads, for these areas which included providing street lighting. Since these townships are not connected to the electricity grid yet, the only possibility was to install solar-powered streetlights. The solar solution for this project was supplied by BEKA Schréder. Community members were included on the project through physical labour and training on how to install and maintain the solar units, provided by the company. The LEDlume-midi 24LED/41W luminaire, mounted at 6 meter above road level, was chosen for this project. The solar panels and battery boxes are secured by tamper-proof screws to prevent theft. Furthermore, the solar module has been engineered for all geographical locations in Africa, and has been designed to operate reliably at a high light output over a 12 to 14 hour period.
It has sufficient autonomy to cater for up to two continuous overcast or rainy days, in order to continue its reliable night operation.
Proudly South African
The LEDlume-midi is the LED luminaire of choice since it is designed and manufactured in South Africa, thus taking Africa’s environments and conditions into account. This is evident in the luminaire’s design. A unique thermal sensor technique monitors the temperature of the LEDs on the printed circuit boards (PCBs). Once a critical temperature is reached, which could harm the lifetime of the LEDs, the current is reduced to ensure safe operating temperatures of the LEDs. This safeguards the LEDs and ensures that the long lifetime of up to 100 000 hours (L70), is achieved. The slim, aesthetical design is optimised for LED characteristics.