Case study November 2017
San Jose, California
4 EverGen M Series park lights
Located at Almaden Expressway and Via Monte Drive in San Jose’s District 10, Chris Hotts Park is a half-acre playground and picnic space named in honor of a young schoolteacher who passed away. This living memorial to her commitment to community services required light to improve park usage.
The San José Environmental Sustainability Plan, currently under development by the Environmental Services Department and Mayor’s Office, aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and put San José on a path toward compliance with the Paris climate agreement. The City required lighting that aligned with those broader renewable energy goals.
In 2017, Sol provided four EverGen M Series solar outdoor lights for the park. But the EverGen wasn’t the first solar light to be installed in this location; the City had tried a different solar-powered lighting provider, but the lack of lumen output was not sufficient for their needs. City crews also desired the ability to remotely monitor the lights to ensure they were working.
The City of San Jose can remotely monitor the health of the lighting system and know immediately if issues arise. When the lights were first installed, trees partially shaded the solar panels. Instead of waiting for citizens to report light outages, the City could see the problem for themselves via Insight remote monitoring. The light output was reduced while the shading issue was addressed, and then they trimmed the trees so that they could restore the lights to their intended brightness.
For Chris Hotts Park, this low-maintenance solution offers reliability and performance while also helping the City of San Jose meet its renewable energy goals. Meanwhile, park users get the chance to connect with nature and enjoy the green space—even after dark.
>> This was the first completed installation of the EverGen M Series. Read the press release.
