Despite the high light efficacy of HB LEDs (high-brightness light-emitting diodes), their cost for commodity applications is still too high for them to compete head-on with older forms of lighting, such as incandescent and HID (high-intensity-discharge) lights. However, certain applications can justify paying a premium for high efficiency, long life, ruggedness, and light-color-temperature control, and these applications represent the sweet spot for HB LEDs.

The amorphous-silicon flexible Solar Flex cells produce uniform power even as the sun’s rays hit the round column of cells at an angle, easing the power-management task for the post. For lighting applications requiring 100 to 125W of power, the post is available in a version with a flat-mount polycrystalline panel that is both larger and more efficient than the other version.

The Aria-model light fixture has 48 Philips Lumiled HB LEDs. Visionaire chose these devices because they provide 100 lumens/W over a wide color-temperature range. Some HB LEDs can provide 100 lumens/W but only at a blue shade of white, typically a blue-white 6500K. Blue-white-colored lights can contribute to night-sky light pollution, which is the bane of observatories and dark-sky protectors.

The four gel-type battery packs in the lamp base can provide as much as 50W to the LEDs. The 12V-dc batteries each offer 30.5 Ahr. A full charge supports 40 hours of continuous illumination. The light operates at ambient temperatures as low as –76°F.