Can The Projector Be Used For Street Lighting?

Can Floodlight Be Used Instead of Street Lamps?

There are various types of luminaires on the market. It is designed in different type for special application. For example, the main purpose of using street lights is to ensure the safety of drivers and pedestrians in a dark or dim environment. Street lights illuminate the roads and make people feel safer. They also play an important role in public safety by reducing crime.

Floodlights are normally used to illuminate larger areas such as sports fields and warehouses. Manufacturers have improved the application areas of projectors and improved light quality and visibility to protect people from dangers. What the floodlight and streetlight have in common is their outdoor lighting capability. It is envisaged that the projectors can be used as street lamps with this common point. If so, will the projector or streetlight cost less? Let's talk about whether the projector light can be used as a street lamp.

What Is Floodlight?

A floodlight has a wide beam spread and high illumination intensity. Projector light is highly diffused and non-directional, resulting in soft, transparent shadows that fade slowly when illuminating objects. Thanks to its wide beam angle, it can illuminate larger areas. Because the projector is non-directional, luminaire manufacturers place the reflector on a regular luminaire to concentrate the light in one direction. The projector is mostly used for intersections, stadium, warehouse, sports fields, etc. used in larger areas. It can fully illuminate the area in low light conditions. A qualified projector can match with clear television broadcasting and convenient visibility for spectators and operators. The use of solar floodlights for energy savings is a popular option for many customers.

What Is Street Lamp?

A street lamp is mainly used to illuminate the road. The street lamp is usually placed on the side of the road or road. The advantages of street lighting include reducing crime, increasing safety and preventing accidents. When it comes to the design of the street lighting system, it is critical to consider the risk of glare, intrusion and glare for drivers, pedestrians and street residents. Failure to criticize the street lamp can result in lighting pollution and even injury. Generally speaking, there are six types of lighting distributions that cover different conditions. Luminaire manufacturers produce luminaires with suitable lighting distribution to meet the requirements of different road types. Outdoor lighting performance is a widely used method of testing the performance of planned lighting distribution designs for an application that will minimize lighting pollution. Photosensitive photocells are fitted with most streetlights to control the lamp for the amount of natural light.

Difference Between Projector And Street Lamp

To clarify whether the projector light can be used as a street light, the difference between a projector and a street light should be taken into account. Application, installation, lighting distribution and lighting uniformity is the main difference between floodlight and street light.

Application

The projector is mainly used in playground, stadium, parking lot, amusement park, airport, building facade, etc. used outdoors. It can illuminate larger and wider areas than a street lamp. The street light is usually used as a parking lot, bicycle path, pedestrian street, community road, etc. located on the side of the road.

Setup

A street lamp is usually mounted on poles of appropriate height to provide adequate illumination. The foundation and ditches of the posts are needed to power the fixtures. Qualified technicians are also required for correct installation. However, projector setups are more flexible. A floodlight can be mounted not only on a pole, but also on a roof, wall or even lawn.

Lighting Distribution

The lighting distributions of the projectors can be simply divided into symmetrical, asymmetrical and bi-asymmetrical.
NEMA (National Power Generation Association) has classified the projector's distribution according to beam spread. The NEMA classification is determined by the horizontal and vertical beam spread angles, where the luminous intensity is 10% of the maximum beam intensity. If a projector has 50 degrees horizontal beam spread and 50 degrees vertical beam spread, it is NEMA type 4 X 4.

The IES (Lighting Engineering Society) develops lateral light distribution according to the luminous area width, defined as multiples of the installation height (MH) for street and area lighting.

Type 1:
Narrow symmetrical pattern, half maximum candela trace falls between 1 MH on the home side and 1 MH on the street side of the luminaire position. Perfect for walkways, trails, road and "high mast" applications.

Type 2:

Narrow asymmetrical pattern, half maximum candela trace falls between 1 MH and 1.75 MH on the street side of the luminaire position. It is used for walkways, paths and bike paths.

Type 3:
Wide asymmetrical pattern, half maximum candela trace falls between 1.75 MH and 2.75 MH on the street side of the luminaire position. Such dispersions allow light to reflect outward and fill the space. It is for highway, parking lot, other area light applications.

Type 4:
Asymmetric forward throw pattern, half maximum candela trace drops above 2.75 MH but below 3.7 MH on street side of luminaire location. Ideal for wall mount or pole mount perimeter applications.

Type 5:
The symmetrical circular pattern has a circular symmetrical distribution around the luminaire position. Provides equal front and rear lighting distribution. Best for park and area lighting.

Type 6:
The symmetrical square patter essentially has a square candlepower symmetry that is the same on all side angles. It is suitable for large areas such as parking lots and areas that require sufficient and evenly distributed light.

From the classification we can understand that the street lamp normally has a Type 2 or Type 3 lighting distribution. Therefore, the floodlight has wider illumination distribution and wider beam spread than the street lamp.

Stability of Light

Uniformity refers to the ratio of the minimum illumination to the average illumination of the specified surface. Uniform and even lighting provides a comfortable visual experience. As mentioned earlier, projector light is highly diffused and non-directional. The mounting position has a direct effect on the homogeneity of the projector. If the projector is placed too close to the target area, uneven lighting distribution may occur. However, all street lights are precision engineered to provide a uniform and even distribution of lighting, as well as minimizing light pollution. Bat wing type lighting distribution is widely and widely used in street lighting. Without the special design, the uniformity of the projector is not as good as the street lamp.

Can a projector be used for a street lamp?

The projector could theoretically be used as a street lamp. The street lamp aims to illuminate a particular direction on the road surface. However, the projector covers greater illumination of the targeted object and area and illumination of a larger area. The addition of a reflector or lens helps adjust the beam spread of the projector to overflow or concentrate the light. It is acceptable to use a flood of lights as a full cut or half cut scatter street light. Full cutout means the maximum illumination intensity should be less than 10cd/1000lm at 90 degrees and less than 30cd/1000lm at 80 degrees. Half cut is defined as the maximum illumination intensity not exceeding 50cd/1000lm at 90 degrees and not less than 100cd/1000lm at 80 degrees. In addition, the projector should be mounted at the appropriate mounting position and height to ensure uniformity of illumination.

Although a projector with advanced technology and the use of reflectors and lenses can meet the requirements of a street light, it is more expensive than a street light with the same features. Therefore, the classifications of light are reasonable and reliable. You don't need to spend extra cost to reattach the projector to the street light.

Still wondering which light is right for your application? Please feel free to contact our sales team. SOLI Lighting is ready to offer professional and customized lighting solutions.