DPWH approves use of solar-powered lights on national roads

Don’t be surprised to see new and existing roads in the country switch from conventional lighting to solar-powered street lights. This comes after the Department of Public Works & Highways (DPWH) approved the use of solar-powered street lights for public works projects.

In addition, the DPWH has issued its latest guidelines on the standard designs for solar-powered roadway lighting along national roads. Through Department Order No. 19, series of 2023, DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan set the standard design drawings.

“In future DPWH projects with street light components, we hope to utilize solar-powered roadway lightings considering its stability, long service life, ease of installation, safety, and of course, energy efficiency, making it ideal for use alongside both new and existing roads,” said Bonoan.

D.O. 19 will serve as the reference of DPWH Regional Offices, District Engineering Offices, Unified Project Management Office Clusters, and DPWH Consultants in the preparation of design plans for road projects.

Under the D.O., the technical requirements for solar-powered street lights must be uniform and free from dark bands or abrupt variations; can use high-pressure sodium (HPS) or light emitting diode (LED) lighting; the color temperature can vary between warm white and warm yellow, and the use of ultraviolet light is prohibited. Lastly, they must be suitable for outdoor use and rated as ingress protection (IP) 65 per International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

For primary national roads, the light arrangement may vary from single, axial, opposite, or staggered. Meanwhile, secondary roads may use single, opposite, or staggered lighting arrangements. Last but not least, tertiary roads may use single or staggered lighting arrangements.