A light fixture is a device that contains an electric lamp or LED array. For solar lighting, some of them need to adhere to standards for quality. Be sure that the light fixtures from your manufacturer adhere to these standards or else the fixture may have a short lifespan. Each of these standards is listed below in greater detail.

Light Fixture Protection

Ingress: Light fixtures need to have what’s called ingress protection (IP) rating of 65. The 6 means the fixture is dust-resistant and the 5 means the fixture can survive a jet of water to it without damage or water getting inside of the fixture. This rating ensures minimal maintenance and resilience for all-weather conditions, including snow, heavy rain, and even dust storms. 

Heat: LEDs typically operate at low temperatures, but that doesn’t mean heat isn’t a problem--especially for fixtures with numerous LEDs on them. It's important that LED fixtures with large LED arrays have proper heat sinks to avoid the overheating of the LEDs themselves. This shortens LED life immensely. Not all light fixtures need heatsinks, but if an LED array has several lights on it without proper heatsinks, avoid purchasing the fixture. 

Styles of Solar Light Fixtures

Thankfully, there isn’t just “one type” of light fixture. Here are some common styles and their best applications.

• Cobra Head - The most common are cobra head and tend to fulfill a “catch-all” purpose. They strike a good balance between aesthetics and functionality. They’re mostly used in street, roadway, and parking lot lighting.

• Decorative - These tend to have more “flair” to them like pendant mount fixtures. They’re fantastic for parks, boulevards, town squares, art districts, and other places where aesthetics are more important.

Examples like these can be found in residential solar lighting projects where functionality and aesthetics are important.

• Bollard - These are short pillar-like structures where the fixture is intended to light a pathway. The panels in these reside on the top of the bollard. Sometimes bollards serve as suggestive perimeters for walkways and landscaping.

• All in One - These combine functionality with a space-saving aesthetic with a fixture and panel combined into one unit. They’re great for retrofit lighting applications where a pole is already installed but the previous fixture is out of proper order or when newer poles can’t be installed.There are countless other fixtures, the vast majority of which aren’t concerned with public outdoor lighting, but these are a few common ones you’ll see used in solar lighting.

That, in a nutshell, is a brief overview of solar light fixtures. As before, there are far too many to list here since fixtures fit all sorts of applications. However, it’s likely you’ll come across one of these fixtures when you see a solar light.

If you'd like to talk with a solar lighting expert to discuss options for your next light project, request a quote. Also, feel free to browse our new solar lighting guide. There's a wealth of information available there.