Solar road studs act as the "invisible guardians" of road safety, playing an irreplaceable role in low-visibility scenarios such as at night and in fog. They can effectively outline the road contours and reduce the incidence of nighttime traffic accidents. However, in areas with heavy rainfall, the failure rate of these devices significantly increases.
The impact of rain on solar road studs goes beyond the mere reduction of surface lighting effects. It penetrates into every aspect of the equipment system, directly threatening its overall reliability and lifespan. For solar transportation facilities, areas with heavy rainfall can be regarded as "extreme application scenarios". Each rainfall is a rigorous test of the equipment's performance. The key impacts of rain on solar road studs mainly focus on the following four core dimensions:
The normal operation of solar energy road studs is entirely dependent on photovoltaic components to collect solar energy and store it. However, in areas with frequent rainfall, continuous rainy weather directly leads to insufficient energy intake, resulting in an "energy deficit" and ultimately causing the equipment to fail.
The core of the solar energy road stud's photovoltaic components relies on direct sunlight from the sun for energy conversion. Once there is continuous rainfall, clouds will block the sunlight, causing the output power of the photovoltaic components to drop sharply.
According to actual test data, in rainy weather, the output power of the photovoltaic components will decrease by 50% to 90%, and in severe cases, it may even fail to generate sufficient electricity to charge the battery, causing the equipment to stop working due to energy depletion.
One of the notable characteristics of rainy seasons is the shortened daylight hours. To ensure visibility at night, solar energy road studs typically operate in a flashing mode, which has relatively high power consumption.
Short daylight leads to reduced energy intake, and the high power consumption mode further increases energy consumption. These two factors form a sharp conflict, further expanding the energy deficit, causing the road studs to be unable to operate continuously, and even experiencing sudden blackouts at night.
Solar energy road studs are exposed to the elements for a long time, and the penetration of rainwater is one of the most common causes of their malfunction. The failure of the sealing structure will allow rainwater to directly enter the equipment, damaging the circuit system and causing irreversible damage.
The IP rating (protection level) is the core indicator for measuring the waterproof and dustproof capabilities of solar road studs. Devices with an IP65 or lower rating cannot cope with heavy rain in rainy areas and scenarios of road waterlogging.
After rainwater seeps into the equipment through gaps, it will directly cause a circuit short circuit. In mild cases, it may cause the LED lights to go out, while in severe cases, it may burn out the entire control board, resulting in the complete scrapping of the road stud.
|
IP Rating |
Waterproof Capability |
Applicability in Rainy Areas |
|
IP65 and below |
Resistant to a small amount of splashing rain; cannot withstand water accumulation or heavy rain |
Not applicable; prone to water infiltration and short circuits |
|
IP68 and above |
Can be immersed in water for long periods; fully prevents rainwater infiltration |
Applicable; suitable for extreme rainfall and water accumulation conditions |
Even if the initial waterproofing of solar road studs is up to standard, when exposed to rainwater for a long time, their sealing structure will gradually age and fail.
The rubber sealing ring on the equipment shell will age, harden, and crack due to long-term contact with rainwater; at the same time, the thermal expansion and contraction caused by day-night temperature differences will cause tiny gaps at the seams of the shell, and rainwater will slowly seep in through these gaps, accumulating over time and eventually causing a malfunction.
The battery is the core component for storing energy in solar street lights. The humid environment in rainy areas and the prolonged insufficient charging state will accelerate the degradation of battery performance and shorten its lifespan, ultimately causing the equipment to fail to supply power normally.
The lithium batteries and nickel-metal-hydride batteries commonly used in solar street lights are very sensitive to "deep discharge" and "long-term undercharging". During rainy seasons, due to insufficient light, the batteries cannot be fully charged and remain in a low-power state for a long time.
This cycle of long-term undercharging will lead to a decrease in the activity of chemical substances inside the battery, a gradual reduction in battery capacity, and ultimately an inability to store sufficient energy. Even when the weather clears up, it is difficult for the street lights to operate normally at night.
When there are gaps in the sealing structure, rainwater or moisture enters the equipment, directly contacting the battery, causing the electrode sheets of the battery to oxidize and corrode.
The corrosion of the electrode sheets will damage the conductivity of the battery, leading to a decrease in energy storage and release efficiency, further accelerating battery degradation, and ultimately causing the battery to completely fail, preventing the street lights from lighting up normally.
The slippery road surfaces and water accumulation in rainy areas will increase the mechanical impact and structural pressure on the solar road studs. Over time, this will lead to damage to the studs' shells and installation foundations, causing equipment failure.
On rainy days, the road surface is slippery, and vehicles are prone to skidding when braking or swerving. At this time, the impact force on the road surface by the vehicle will significantly increase, and the direction of the impact force is more unstable.
Solar LED road studs are installed on the road surface and directly bear the rolling and impact of vehicles. The additional impact from slippery road surfaces will cause the studs' shells to crack and break, and even cause the internal components to shift, resulting in malfunctions.
Long-term water accumulation will soften the installation base of the solar road studs, especially on asphalt or concrete road surfaces. Water penetration will cause the base to become loose and sink.
At the same time, water accumulation will damage the adhesive between the road studs and the road surface, causing the road studs to be installed insecurely, resulting in loosening, tilting, and even detachment, and preventing them from functioning properly as road guides.
The core function of the solar-powered road studs is to provide clear road guidance through LED lights. However, in rainy weather, the special environment significantly reduces their visibility, even if the equipment is not completely malfunctioning, it cannot fulfill its intended safety role.
Raindrops and the water film formed on the road surface will change the propagation path of the LED lights, causing light to scatter and refract.
The originally concentrated LED lights will be dispersed, the brightness will be weakened, and the transmission distance will be shortened. When drivers are driving at night in rainy weather, they will have difficulty clearly seeing the lights of the road studs and will not be able to timely determine the lane boundaries, increasing the risk of traffic accidents.
During rainy seasons, due to insufficient lighting, the battery is undercharged, and the LED lights of the solar road studs will naturally decrease in brightness. However, the low visibility environment in rainy weather requires even higher LED brightness.
This contradiction of "insufficient brightness" and "higher requirements" will further exacerbate the visibility problem. Even if the road studs are in operation, they cannot provide clear and effective road guidance to drivers, losing their core safety value.
Based on the above analysis, the failure of solar road studs in rainy areas is not caused by a single factor, but rather a "systemic coupling failure" resulting from the interaction and influence of the five core issues. These can be summarized as follows:
Energy issue: Continuous rainy weather leads to insufficient light, interrupting the charging of photovoltaic components, resulting in an energy deficit and inability to support equipment operation;
Waterproofing issue: Insufficient IP rating or aging sealing structure allow rainwater to penetrate, causing internal circuit short circuits;
Battery issue: Long-term undercharging and humid environment jointly lead to battery performance degradation and internal corrosion, making it impossible to store energy;
Structural issue: Slippery road surfaces increase impact loads, and water softens the installation base, causing the stud shell to be damaged and the installation to become loose;
Optical issue: Rainwater causes light scattering and refraction, and combined with insufficient LED brightness, visibility significantly decreases, making it impossible to function as a guidance device.
Only by addressing these five core issues specifically can solar road studs operate stably in rainy areas and truly fulfill their role in road safety assurance.
Regarding the above five failure mechanisms, by combining industry authoritative standards and practical application experience, we have summarized five core engineering solutions that can effectively enhance the applicability and stability of solar studs in rainy areas.
Selecting waterproof designs of IP68 or higher levels is the core measure to resist water penetration. The IP68 level can ensure no water penetration even when immersed in water for a long time, fully protecting the internal circuits and batteries.
At the same time, adopting a "rubber sealing ring + waterproof glue" dual-sealing structure, combined with seamless casting technology, eliminates the gap at the shell joints; applying a nano waterproof coating on the surface of the circuit board further enhances the moisture-proof ability, and can effectively cope with rainstorms and road water accumulation scenarios.
For the problem of insufficient light during rainy seasons and charging interruptions, using high-capacity batteries ensures that the studs can achieve continuous operation for ≥72 hours (flashing mode) after being fully charged, coping with continuous rainy weather.
Give priority to using lithium batteries or nickel-metal hydride batteries that are cold-temperature resistant and corrosion-resistant, improving the stability of the battery in humid environments, reducing the damage to the battery caused by long-term undercharging, and extending the battery life to more than 3 years.
Combining the sunlight characteristics of rainy areas, optimizing the installation angle of the photovoltaic components to maximize the reception of scattered light, improving the energy conversion efficiency in rainy weather, and reducing energy deficits.
At the same time, adopting self-cleaning photovoltaic panel design, coating the surface with anti-fouling coating, reducing the adhesion of rainwater and dust on the panel, avoiding shading of light, and ensuring the stable charging efficiency of the photovoltaic components.
Selecting aviation-grade aluminum alloy or high-boron silicon tempered glass as the housing material for the studs to enhance the pressure and impact resistance of the equipment, ensuring it can withstand the additional impact load from vehicles on slippery roads, avoiding shell cracking.
The shell undergoes anodizing treatment to enhance corrosion resistance and anti-aging ability, able to resist long-term rain erosion and extend the equipment's service life, ensuring structural stability in rainy environments.
Setting up reasonable drainage structures in the installation area to avoid long-term soaking of the studs by road water, reducing erosion of the installation base and sealing structure by water accumulation.
Using epoxy-based adhesive for installation, enhancing the bonding strength between the studs and the road surface, avoiding softening of the base due to water accumulation, causing the studs to loosen or fall off； ensure the studs are level with the road surface during installation to reduce the impact of vehicle rolling, further protecting the equipment structure.
When selecting, first confirm the waterproof rating of the solar spikes. They must be of IP68 or higher level. Additionally, the product must have a dual-sealing structure (rubber sealing ring + waterproof glue) and a nano waterproof coating on the circuit board to prevent water penetration and short circuits. You can request the supplier to provide a waterproof test report to ensure the product can withstand long-term heavy rain and road water accumulation.
Prioritize choosing high-capacity batteries with a battery life of ≥ 72 hours (flash mode) to ensure they can cope with continuous rainy weather; the battery type should preferably be low-temperature resistant and corrosion-resistant lithium batteries to avoid performance degradation due to damp environments and long-term undercharging, extend battery life, and reduce replacement costs.
Select photovoltaic modules with self-cleaning functions and optimized angle designs. The surface anti-fouling coating can reduce the adhesion of rain and dust, and the optimized angle can improve the scattering light reception efficiency under rainy weather, reduce energy deficits, and ensure stable power supply for the equipment.
The shell material of the solar road studs should prioritize aerospace-grade aluminum alloy or high borosilicate tempered glass, which undergoes anodizing treatment and has strong pressure resistance, impact resistance, and corrosion resistance, capable of withstanding vehicle impacts on slippery roads and avoiding cracking or damage to the shell.
Prioritize choosing solar spike suppliers that can provide on-site test cases and quality inspection reports to ensure the product has been verified in rainy areas; at the same time, confirm the after-sales guarantee, including battery replacement, fault repair services, to reduce the difficulty and cost of later maintenance.
A: Qualified solar road studs can function properly in rainy weather. However, if the product lacks sufficient waterproofing or the battery capacity is insufficient, problems such as dimming or malfunction may occur during rainy days.
A: In areas with heavy rainfall, the preferred level is IP68 or higher. This is currently the optimal waterproofing grade capable of handling extreme rainfall and water accumulation on the roads.
A: The high-quality solar road studs can last for 3 to 5 years under normal conditions in rainy or other harsh weather conditions. However, if the selection is incorrect or maintenance is not carried out in time, the lifespan may be shortened to 1 to 2 years.
A: The main reason for ceasing operations at night is the insufficient energy supply, especially in areas with frequent rainfall: Firstly, continuous rainy weather leads to insufficient charging of photovoltaic components; Secondly, the battery performance deteriorates and its capacity decreases; Thirdly, water infiltration causes circuit short-circuiting, or the sealing failure leads to internal faults, resulting in the equipment being unable to light up normally.
