Trial in Wijhe shows: world to be gained with type of lighting
A trial of hybrid solar collectors on eight light fixtures at Hubo hardware store on the Handelsweg in Wijhe has been very pleasing to the municipality. So well, in fact, that the fixtures will also be placed at another location.
There is still a world to be won in the field of lighting. This was shown by a trial conducted by the family business of Ton Reinders and his sons Jop and Bram, commissioned by the municipality of Olst-Wijhe. At Hubo hardware store on the Handelsweg in Wijhe, hybrid solar collectors sat on eight lighting points for two months.
The site at the hardware store is around the corner from their office and warehouse on Enkweg. Father Ton has been running the company Vocare Ledlight there for twelve years. The solar collectors on lighting points was one of the three tests in Olst-Wijhe to save even more energy, on top of the regular measures.
Considerable savings
And that was more than successful. ,,The previous fixtures contained LED lighting, the fixtures in the trial had a solar panel. Consumption has dropped by 75 percent. We did expect that it would save a lot, but this is really a lot,'' says Bram.
The municipality is also very pleased with the results, says municipal spokesperson Berber Brand. ''The test with the solar collectors has been successful. In the dark month of March, they used only 10 percent electricity from the grid and 90 percent solar energy. In the third quarter we will look for a good location to apply these fixtures.''
As far as the Reinders family is concerned, that could be anywhere in Olst-Wijhe, although it will be implemented step by step. ''First you have to think about a square, that will be the first real application,'' says Ton.
No pine tree
And do locations with many trees also qualify, given the necessary sunlight on the panels? ''As long as it's not a pine tree, it doesn't matter. A leafy tree just does its job in the summer. Our fixtures can just be applied.''
Other trials
How the other trials in Olst-Wijhe turned out, the municipality cannot say at this time. Light masts were removed on the Omloop in Wijhe and the Veerweg in Olst to see if certain larger through roads or accesses could do with less light.
In the third trial, the lights are only on when someone or something is approaching, using sensors. ''That may cause local residents to find it very unpleasant. But we are going to try and evaluate it,'' Alderman Marcel Blind said earlier. Brand: ,,For those projects, we need to communicate with our residents first.''
