Solar Street Light with Automatic Intensity Control Using RTC-based Time Scheduling and PWM Dimming
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46610/JEDT.2026.v03i02.001Keywords:
Arduino nano, Automatic intensity control, Battery management, Energy efficiency, LED street lighting, Photovoltaic energy, PWM dimming, Real-time clock (RTC), Rural electrification, Solar street lightAbstract
This study presents the design, implementation, and experimental validation of an automatic solar street light system with Real-Time Clock (RTC)-based intensity control powered by Photovoltaic (PV) energy. Conventional solar street lights operate at fixed brightness throughout the night, resulting in unnecessary energy expenditure and accelerated battery degradation. The proposed system addresses this inefficiency by integrating a DS3231 RTC module with an Arduino Nano microcontroller to implement a five-level Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) dimming algorithm that adjusts LED illumination according to predefined time slots. An IRFZ44N MOSFET-based driver circuit delivers flicker-free brightness modulation at 980 Hz. A 20W polycrystalline PV panel, 10A PWM charge controller, and 12V/20Ah sealed lead-acid battery complete the energy subsystem. The system further incorporates battery voltage monitoring to automatically reduce load during cloudy periods, preventing deep discharge. Experimental results over a seven-day outdoor trial confirm an annual energy consumption of approximately 42 kWh —a 96% reduction over traditional 150W sodium vapor lighting and a 60% reduction over fixed-brightness solar LED alternatives. Battery backup exceeded two days under full-load conditions, and RTC accuracy was maintained within ±2 seconds over the trial period. The total prototype cost of ₹5,480 yields an estimated payback period of 22 months against a grid-connected fixture. The system is particularly suited for rural electrification, highway safety lighting, smart city applications, and emergency deployment scenarios.
References
A. Y. J., A. B. Kembavi, Akshitha, S. V. Joshi, and L. M, “Solar powered automatic street light system,” International Advanced Research Journal in Science, Engineering and Technology, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 241–249, May 2023.
M. S. Sisodiya, T. Shrivastava, and A. Patra, “Smart street light control system using Arduino,” International Journal of Innovative Research in Electrical, Electronics, Instrumentation and Control Engineering, vol. 9, no. 6, pp. 52–57, Jun. 2021.
F. S. El-Faouri, M. Sharaiha, D. Bargouth and A. Faza, “A smart street lighting system using solar energy,” 2016 IEEE PES Innovative Smart Grid Technologies Conference Europe (ISGT-Europe), Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2016, pp. 1–6.
S. Bhosale, K. Gaware, P. Phalke, D. Wadekar, and P. Ahire, “IoT-based dynamic control of street lights for smart city,” International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology, vol. 4, no. 5, pp. 1181–1183, May 2017.
S. Srivastava, “Automatic street lights,” Advances in Electronic and Electric Engineering, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 539–542, 2013.
M. B., S. H. M., S. H. R., P. G. Naik, and R.M V, “Solar-powered street light system with autoadjusting intensity,” International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 1598–1600, Aug. 2024.
U. Jain, A. Jain, and D. Shukla, “Microcontroller based solar powered automatic street light intensity controller,” Innovare Journal of Engineering and Technology, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 31–33, 2018.
M. A. Green et al., “Solar cell efficiency tables (Version 53),” Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 3–12, Dec. 2018.
U.S. Department of Energy, “LED street lighting,” Solid-State Lighting Technology Fact Sheet, Jun. 2016.
Arduinodocs, “Arduino® Nano Product Reference Manual SKU: A000005.” pp. 1-26, May 2026.
Maxim Integrated, “DS3231: Extremely Accurate I²C-Integrated RTC/TCXO/Crystal Datasheet,” Rev. 10, pp. 1–20, 2015.
Vishay Siliconix, “IRFZ44 Power MOSFET TO-220AB ORDERING INFORMATION,” Oct. 2021.
M. D. Vijay, K. Shah, G. Bhuvaneswari and B. Singh, “LED-based street lighting with automatic intensity control using solar PV,” 2015 IEEE IAS Joint Industrial and Commercial Power Systems/Petroleum and Chemical Industry Conference (ICPSPCIC), Hyderabad, India, 2015, pp. 197–202.
R. Ciriminna, F. Meneguzzo, L. Albanese, and M. Pagliaro, “Solar street lighting: A key technology en route to sustainability,” Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, vol. 6, no. 2, 2017.
S. P.R, J. A.S., B. P.B., J. A.A., and B. P.S., “A Review on Multi Spindle Drilling Special Purpose Machine with Respect to Productivity,” International Journal for Scientific Research & Development, vol. 3, no. 8, pp. 560–562, 2015
