Carmanah has been contracted by British Columbia’s Ministry of Transportation (MOT) to develop and supply solar-powered LED area lighting for four rest stops located along remote sections of the Trans Canada Highway (Highway 1) in British Columbia. This project was initiated by MOT to help encourage travelers to utilize rest stops by making them more appealing, user-friendly and safe.
The two initial rest stops selected for the solar lighting installations are Silhouette located near Revelstoke, BC, and Redgrave located near Golden, BC. Both Revelstoke and Golden are located on Highway 1 along one of the most scenic mountain crossings in the province – Rogers Pass (elevation 4,534 feet/1382 m), found at the summit in Glacier National Park.
Isolated sections along many highways, especially Highway 1, which involves remote and isolated stretches through the Rocky Mountains, limits grid-tie access and can make installing road and rest stop lighting a challenge. At night, rest stops are dark, with public toilet facilities set back from the road and typically sheltered by tall trees, making them intimidating to use for many people. With adequate lighting, the MOT is hopeful that more travelers may be inclined to use them, as opposed to using non-restroom areas.
The MOT plans to install all four custom general illumination systems in January 2006. Custom designed by Carmanah to suit the isolated environments of the install locations, these general rest stop area lighting systems use LED flood light fixtures for exterior area illumination that operates from dusk to dawn. The interior lights utilize Edison-based LED fixtures on the interior and exterior toilet facility doors. The systems employ solar modules as the main power source in both the area lighting and toilet facility lighting systems. In addition, the toilet facility systems use 12VDC motion sensors for lighting activation.
Due to their extremely low power requirements, LEDs and solar panels are an ideal technology combination for this application.
For more information on this solar-powered illumination project or Carmanah’s solar power systems in general, please visit www.spsenergy.com or contact:
Steven Voysey
General Illumination
Power Systems Group
Carmanah Technologies Corporation
Toll-free: 1-800-667-6527 (USA & Canada)
Worldwide: +1 (250) 652-5220 Ext. 243
Fax: +1 (250) 652-5697
E-mail:
Web Sites: www.carmanah.com | www.spsenergy.com
About Carmanah Technologies Corporation
Carmanah is an award-winning manufacturer specializing in energy-efficient technologies that fundamentally change the way its customers operate. The Company is currently focused on three technology groups: solar-powered LED lighting, solar power systems & equipment and LED-illuminated signage.
Carmanah is headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and has branch offices and/or sales representation in 11 cities across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. With more than 250,000 installations worldwide, Carmanah is one of the world’s premier suppliers of energy-efficient products.
The shares of Carmanah Technologies Corporation are publicly traded on the TSX under the symbol “CMH” and on the Berlin and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges under the symbol “QCX“. For more information, please visit www.carmanah.com.