Page 118 - Lighting Magazine January 2019

solar lightiNg
right: Solar lights have evolved to complement nearly any type of archi- tecture. This Traditional- style lantern is from GS Designs/Gamma Sonic.
bElow:The GS Designs/ Gama Sonic GS-214 Stainless Steel bollard solar path lamp with EZ Anchor installs in sec- onds and can illuminate walkways, sidewalks, patios, driveways, and courtyards. A High/O / Low switch controls brightness.
two primary technical metrics to watch here are lumen output and run-time duration. Both have doubled over the past few years.
Some solar lighting companies are beginning to target the residential lighting community, such as GS Designs by Gama Sonic, an Israeli, family- owned manufacturer of decorative solar lighting which recently opened a permanent showroom in the Dallas Market Center’s Trade Mart during LIGHTOVATION. GS Designs has introduced unique LED lamping for its solar-powered xtures that includes traditional A-lamp and candle-lamp shapes. This approach allows consumers to select the color temperature of their lights (2100K, 2700K, or 6000K) and provides a more tradi- tional lamp aesthetic as well as facilitates easy consumer replacement of a failed light source.
Another GS Designs innovation is its patented “Morph Technology” that molds the solar panels directly into the xture housings, allowing for a greater surface area to fully harness available sun- light plus can accommodate curved and uneven housing surfaces.
Classy Caps is a Canadian manufacturer that has specialized in decorative solar lighting for the past 20 years. It has incorporated replace- able ba eries, enabling consumers to take care of ba ery replacement when necessary. Classy Caps also o ers a solar-powered outdoor chan- delier featuring a remote solar panel that allows the chandelier to hang in the shade while the solar panel is placed at a distance in full sun. The company produces 150-lumen security lights and 30-lumen spot lights for landscape applications.
Lamps Plus Pros’ Matheson observes, “Manufac- turers are constantly improving ba ery duration and light output in their units, and customers are frequently opting for solar lighting in their outdoor spaces. All products have higher light output, lon- ger life, and slicker designs to t all varieties of lighting applications.”
grow commerciAl oPPortUnities
In addition to residential use, commercial-grade product is also available from GS Designs that enables one full day of direct sunlight to operate the lights for 5 full nights. Understandably, these commercial-grade products have larger solar pan- els and ba eries than the residential products. The executives at GS Designs see showrooms increasingly shi ing focus from consumer sales
116 enLIGHTenment MagazIne | January 2019
www.enlightenmentmag.com
tHink beyond PAtH ligHts
Many consumers only think of path lights when they hear the term “residential solar lighting.” In fact, solar lighting has greatly expanded to include outdoor chandeliers, string lights, security lights, deck lights, stick lights, accent lights, fencepost cap lights, post lights, wall lights, and landscape spotlights.
The three primary components of a residential solar lighting product are: the solar panels, the ba eries, and the LED light source. While all three have been improving steadily in performance, the