A Signage is displayed for public view, and therefore, there’s no fixed time when they’ll come across the message your business conveys. It could be at night when your potential customer is driving by, or in times of direct sunlight during the day. Either way, illuminated signages offer better readability and focus compared to non-illuminated signs.
That is why LED signs attract more attention, enhance situational awareness, and display any message with clarity. Until recently, installing an LED signage used direct power supply as it was an absolute necessity. However, that meant costly power bills and heavy utility of electricity on a daily basis.
Thankfully, with the invention of solar powered panels, signage powered by solar power offers convenience, flexibility of usages, easy installation, and less wastage of fossil fuel generation electricity.
However, there are some myths adjoining the use of solar powered signages. In this blog, we’re here to take you through those misconceptions so we can altogether clear them for you.
Demystifying Solar Powered Signage
Many companies are wary of using signage powered by solar power. There are a number of reasons, and we’re here to demystify them for you, because not all of them are true.
- Solar panels demand a pocket-burning investment
In the past, yes; about 10 to 15 years ago, solar panels were expensive. However, now it’s quite the contrary as the installation charges have dramatically dropped. The charges vary by location, but they are still affordable, giving a payback of five to ten years of saving light bills.
Also, the design life of a solar panel spans around 30 years, which your company can at least enjoy free electricity for the signages put up at different locations.
- Solar panel signages may not work in the winter season
Unless you are placing the signage in the North or South Pole, you have nothing to worry about! Solar energy production is more in the months of July in August as compared to January and December. Given that the output may be somewhat lower, but the solar system will still produce significant power to light up that signage on the street.
- There’s no warranty period for solar panels
Except for the variation among manufacturers, there’s no other difference. That said, solar panels, inverters and batteries come with an equipment warranty. It is important to understand your warranty terms as they will define and protect your investment. You may connect with us to understand our warranty schemes based on your signage or other requirements.
However, just for your information, here are a few types of warranties you should know about:
- Solar Panel Power Performance Guarantees – A power performance guarantee offers the guarantee of the panels purchased and the fixed period within which they will produce at least 80% of their original output after 25 years.
- Solar panel equipment warranty – This type of warranty covers the integrity of the panel and protects it against material or workmanship defects.
- Labor warranty – These warranties are offered for the labor involved in installing panels and maintenance as well.
- Inverter warranty – The warranty duration for the inverter varies between the type of the inverter and the product manufacturer. This warranty can cover a standalone unit or microinverter.
- Solar panels require frequent maintenance
Not really! They are durable components because they do not contain lead-acid batteries and moving parts that need constant checking. Solar panels boost renewable energy production. The tracking devices are less reliable than stationary solar systems. Therefore, the lack of moving parts renders the solar panels to demand less attention.
- Solar panels will have power during a power outage
As much as we want this to be true, we’ve got to tell you the truth. Solar panels are designed to save on energy as well as light bills. What you don’t know is that they are also designed to shut down automatically during an outage. The automatic shutdown is to ensure the protection of utility company workers. Sometimes a signage powered by solar power is grid-tied with batteries, giving it a critical load panel so the company can choose which circuit has energy during the outage. Most often, the load that prevents incurring loss is selected.
- Solar panels for signages can store excess energy on bright sunny days
We hate to break it to you, but solar panels do not have an energy storage facility unless they are also powered by batteries. However, utility customers can benefit from net metering. Net metering allows the utility company to credit an account for excess energy to feed the grid. So, be it a sunny day or a cold winter, a signage powered by solar power is worthy of installation. It’s good to know your limitations with solar-powered signage so that your company can decide the type of installation required, including its location. Get in touch with us as we work to go beyond your solar needs to give you the highest efficiency and power optimization deserved
