Australian Solar Bollard Pathway Lighting in Parks & Reserves: Jacaranda Springs, High Wycombe, WA

City of Kalamunda creates usable shared public spaces for residents of High Wycombe using Australian solar bollards

Jacaranda Springs Park, High Wycombe, WA 6057

Project Completed 2017

Project brief for solar lighting for the reserve

HIGHLUX to recommend and install a solar lighting solution in the Jacaranda Springs Park in the suburb of High Wycombe, WA.  The areas to light included a main pedestrian pathway from the corner of Foxton Boulevard to the end of park at Benson Way (370m total length), as well as a barbeque and recreational area.  The objective was to create a useable, inviting, and interactive shared public area.

Solar was specifically requested to reduce capital costs and to achieve project completion in a short time frame.  AS/NZS category P4 lighting compliance was not required for this project.

Solar bollards for waypoint lighting along pathway

HIGHLUX recommended 38 solar bollards along the pathway, and 4 overhead lights (SOLABLADE) for the BBQ area. 

From purchase order to project completion was 4 weeks. 

Funding

City of Kalamunda, WA

Key Challenges

• - High level of vandalism in the area
• - Light to heavy shading across much of the park, particularly along the pathways
• - Tight project timeline

HIGHLUX recommended Australian Solar Bollards

SOLABOLLARD x 38 along pathways and SOLABLADE x 4 for the BBQ area.

Along the pathway, there is a mix of heavy and lighter shading from trees.  In the heavily shaded section, a low power model (80mA) of solar bollard was used.  For the remainder of the pathway where there was lighter shading, a higher power model of solar bollard (120mA) were installed.  Solar bollards were spaced 12 to 15 metres apart to meet the project objective of providing way-point lighting. 

The solar bollards were spaced 12 to 15 metres apart to provide waypoint lighting in the Jacaranda Springs Park.  Waypoint lighting provides a night-time guide for pedestrians, offering a level of safety and comfort across such a large open area.

SOLABLADE, a simple overhead area light with motion sensor, was selected for the BBQ areas because of its function, cost, and ease of installation.  All-in-one solar lights such as the SOLABLADE are a cost-effective overhead lighting solution. The main limitation of the all-in-one systems is the solar panel must be installed facing north, which means, the installation point needs to be such that the south-pointing light splay is going to fall where it is needed. As with all solar, the solar panel must be free from shading from trees and buildings. What also makes SOLABLADE a cost-effective solution is because at 6kg total weight, the SOLABLADE can be mounted on a standard off-the-shelf 65NB, medium thickness pipe (around $130 per 6.5m length from a local building supplier) and a pole cap to pop on top to make it look nice.

For Jacaranda Park, SOLABLADE was mounted up at 5m height for optimal light splay to the BBQ areas.  SOLABLADE automatically turns on at dusk for 3 hours at full power, then drops down to a lower power until dawn.  SOLABLADE has a motion sensor so when there is motion “after hours” the light goes back up to full power until no further motion is detected for 30 seconds. 

The combined solution of SOLABOLLARD and SOLABLADE created a shared useable space after dark, with a feeling of community and safety. 

Fast turn-around with solar lighting

The City of Kalamunda was already familiar with these Australian made solar bollards from a recent nearby installation, as well as solar and mains lighting projects with HIGHLUX.

For Jacaranda Springs Park, HIGHLUX first visited the site, then presented a formal recommendation and quote, complete with lighting design, to City of Kalamunda on 4^th May 2017.  City of Kalamunda presented HIGHLUX with the purchase order about two weeks later, with the requirement to supply, have installed, and billed for payment, before the end of financial year!  On receipt of purchase order, HIGHLUX arranged installation to occur over several days in June. 

Despite some challenging and disruptive winter weather, the installation was completed by 26^th June 2017, ahead of schedule, and, in time to invoice for the work before end of financial year (as requested by City of Kalamunda).

A vandal attack needing an amended solar solution

Three months after the installation was complete, a particularly brazen vandal attack occurred in the park.  4WD vehicles were used to “bend” the SOLABLADE poles, and the SOLABLADE luminaire’s were stolen.  In the photo from the newspaper article, the “off-the-shelf” pole specified for the Jacaranda Springs project is shown.  These poles are “robust” enough, but not against the power and intent of theft with heavy vehicles! 

HIGHLUX worked once more with the City of Kalamunda to supply at cost, engineered poles as the more robust option.  These poles are shown in the photos of the SOLABLADE below.