Yes, all solar led street lights require direct sunlight. The daily operating time of solar street lights will be significantly reduced if there is no direct sunlight. In addition, all solar panels can only operate at maximum efficiency under direct sunlight. So, we need to install solar street lights outdoors.

Solar street lights can work in winter. However, the winter can affect the operating time of solar street lights.

Solar panels and batteries are the two primary components that can impact the solar street lights’ daily operation in the winter. Low temperature does not affect the work of solar panels in winter, but it’s daylight time. To say, the time of direct sunlight in winter is much lesser than in summer. You can adjust the angle of the solar panel so it can receive as much sunlight as possible.

On the other hand, the temperature in winter highly affects solar batteries, especially lithium batteries. When the temperature is lower than 5 degrees Celsius, the charge and discharge can only reach 90% of the normal temperature. The lower the temperature, the lower the charge-discharge ratio. Good thing there are two solutions. The first one is to heat and keep the battery warm. However, this will only reduce the battery lifespan. Another way is to use low-temperature batteries. Usually, low-temperature-resistant batteries can operate at temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius. However, the price of a low-temperature battery is about 2 to 3 times higher than that of a typical temperature battery.

To sum up, it is technically possible for solar street lights to work for a long time in winter. However, we do not recommend applying solar street lights for some places with too low temperatures. Particularly, when providing lighting to the main road because the cost is too high.

Yes, all solar lights require batteries. If there is no battery, there is no storage device for electrical energy. At night, there is no power supply device to generate power for the light source.

The lifespan of solar street lights of different quality also varies. Most household solar street lights have a maximum lifespan of two years. But, some are of poor quality and break down within a few months.

Some project-type solar street lights usually can last more than three years and longevity exceeding five years.

Lithium batteries are the main factor limiting the lifespan of solar street lighting. On the other hand, the lifespan of LED, solar panels, and other components can reach more than five years. Most of the time, solar street lights with a short lifespan use second-hand lithium batteries. If you want your solar lights to last more than five years, opt for lithium iron phosphate batteries with high cycle life. You may also choose a huge battery capacity configuration.