Carmanah has received an order from Los Angeles County for 18 units of its R829 compact solar LED school zone flasher. The solar flashers will be installed at elementary and middle schools throughout the County, as part of Cycle 5 of the Safe Routes to School (SR2S) grant. Together with a previous phase of this project, a total of 80 Carmanah compact solar school zone flashers will be operating in Los Angeles County.
School Zone Safety is a very important issue politically in LA County. In 2003 the County submitted a grant application to Caltrans for the Safe Routes to School Program, which included a comparison of hard-wired school zone flashers vs. solar school zone flashers. They concluded that a solar system could be installed for a significantly lower cost than a hard-wired unit, allowing for more units to be installed with the Safe Routes to School grant funds available. Other important considerations included avoidance of utility permits, required underground utility checks, and associated delays these requirements would cause.
Los Angeles County provides maintenance services for many of the Cities within its jurisdiction and has used solar-powered flashing beacons for other warning sign applications in the past. Based on its experience, the County wanted a design that would “eliminate the multiple bulky cabinets” that are typically required for battery storage, timing controllers, etc. Carmanah’s compact, self-contained design was deemed ideal. Carmanah’s technology was also selected because of the longevity of the battery system and the Company’s inclusive warranty.
Vandalism was another important consideration. Carmanah’s beacon design has all the control electronics and batteries mounted at the top of the pole in the solar engine, and features a small, discrete solar panel.
About the R829 Solar School Zone Flasher
The R829 utilizes Carmanah’s patented MICROSOURCE™ Energy Management System to automatically adjust to prevailing solar conditions for reliable year-round operation under all weather conditions.
Drawing on Carmanah’s innovative compact control module or “solar engine,” the R829 can be mounted high above the sidewalk, out of the path of pedestrians and out of the reach of vandals.
Significant long-term cost savings are also achieved by the R829, as it requires no external grid power. Other key operational benefits included no bulbs to replace for the life of the unit, as well as no scheduled maintenance or servicing for up to 5 years, at which point only the battery pack may need exchanging.
Carmanah manufactures compact solar flashing beacons for crosswalks, school zones, and 24-hour applications, and LED illuminated street-name signs and regulatory signs. More than 250,000 installations worldwide attest to the reliability and operational benefits of Carmanah’s products.
About Carmanah Technologies Corporation
Carmanah is an award-winning manufacturer specializing in energy-efficient technologies. 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.
