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A First for Jindera: Cat V5 Solar LED Street Light System Powered by the Sun

Pioneer Drive illuminated by solar led street lights at night

Not so long ago, Pioneer Drive was just a quiet dusty road on the outskirts of Jindera, NSW. As the town expanded into surrounding farmland, Pioneer Drive has become a busy arterial road. But without street lighting it was also a serious safety concern.

Greater Hume Shire Council needed a street lighting system that was compliant with category V5 lighting standards for major collector roads like Pioneer Drive, but also completely off-grid too.

In a first for the region, twenty, fully compliant Leadsun AE6 solar powered road lights were installed, improving visibility and safety for residents, motorists and pedestrians. The lights operate to a fully compliant V5 specification during the evening peak hours, before dimming for the night when traffic volumes decrease. 

Client
 Greater Hume Shire Council 

Traditional Custodians
Wiradjuri people

The LED solar street light system installed at Pioneer Drive, Jindera
The LED solar street light system installed along Pioneer Drive

Located about 15 km north of Albury in the Greater Hume Shire, Jindera is a growing regional township with a rich pioneering history. As higher-density housing, lifestyle blocks and new subdivisions have expanded into surrounding farmland, essential infrastructure like roads, footpaths and street lights have needed to be progressively upgraded over time.  

Originally, Pioneer Drive was just a dirt road used by farmers. Today, it is a major arterial road connecting new residents with the rest of town. To cope with the increased traffic, a 600 metre stretch of Pioneer Drive was sealed when the subdivision was first created. However, no street lighting was installed at the time, leaving residents, drivers and pedestrians in the dark.  

In December 2024, Member for Albury, Justin Clancy MP announced in The Jindera News that Jindera had received crucial funding from the NSW State Government Stronger Country Communities grant program to illuminate Pioneer Drive. 

Project Challenges

Australia and New Zealand Lighting Standards

To save money, reduce installation time and minimise disruption to the community, the Greater Hume Shire wanted the new street lighting system to be completely off-grid. Street lights powered by the sun are nothing new, but this would be the first time a major collector road in the region like Pioneer Drive went off-grid. To do it, the new street lights would have to be fully compliant with the same strict Australia and New Zealand category V5 lighting standards (AS/NZS 1158 Cat V5) that traditional grid-powered street lights need to comply with. 

Obstructions, Easements and Underground Services

Initial site surveys revealed a network of underground services along Pioneer Drive including a water mains and redundant storm water drains. These obstructions would seriously constrain where light poles could be installed and how excavation works could be carried out by the team.  

A Fully Compliant Cat V5 Solar LED Street Light System

Leadsun Lighting Designer, Ramesh Vellingiri collaborated with Andrew Walls from the Greater Hume Shire Council on the design. Together, they engineered a compliant off-grid solar LED Street Light system that could deliver uniform light distribution along a 600 metre stretch of Pioneer Drive. 

20 AE6 street lights were installed, each equipped with a 24 watt Sylvania Street LED powered by a 150 watt monocrystalline photovoltaic solar panel coupled with Leadsun’s patented dual lithium battery system.  

Each LED solar street light was mounted on an 8-metre frangible pole with 3.0 metres of outreach, ensuring even illumination across the breadth of the road. To avoid damage to underground services, extensive surveying was carried out to precisely locate where light poles could be installed. Excavation works were then carefully completed with a non-destructive HydroVac, using high-pressure water to liquefy the soil and a powerful vacuum to safely remove it without damaging delicate underground water pipes.

A Lighter, Brighter Solar Powered Future for Pioneer Drive

At night, Pioneer Drive is now bathed in light with substantially improved visibility and safety for all road users. V5 compliant from dusk for four hours, the road is uniformly lit from curb to curb, ensuring consistent visibility without harsh shadows or distracting glare. Once dimmed, the light is still powerful enough for lower traffic volumes late at night.

“Leadsun’s solar lighting system was the ideal solution for Pioneer Drive. It delivered safety, sustainability and affordability — all without connecting to the electricity grid and is compliant with mandatory Cat V5 Australian standards”, said Gordon Manzione, Leadsun’s NSW Business Development Manager. “The project ran seamlessly and has been really well received by the community.”    

Greater Hume Shire Council was equally pleased. By choosing Leadsun’s solar LED street light system, they were able to avoid costly trenching, cabling and grid connections as well as ongoing electricity expenses, saving time and money and reducing disruption for residents.  

Leadsun Products used

  • Solar module series – AE6 (superseded by AEX)
  • Solar size – 150W 
    LED output programming: 4 hours from dusk at full power, then dimmed to 5 watts until dawn 
  • Pole footing type – Rag Bolt 
  • Pole type – GM Frangible (8m height, 3m outreach) 
  • Monitoring – EDGE Wireless 

Lighting Applications

Lighting Compliance

  • AS/NZS 1158.3.1 P (V5) 
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