Educational 11 December 2025
In solar lighting, every watt matters. You might not realize it if you live in one of the Endless Sunshine states, but in regions with less consistent sun, efficiency can mean the difference between a system that works and one that doesn’t. Motion detection, now an option with the EverGen 3, helps tip that balance.
Motion-based lighting adds a layer of intelligence that boosts both safety and performance. Lights stay at a lower level when no one’s around, then brighten when motion is detected. Users feel safer because the light is responsive to their presence, and the system consumes less energy overall.
It’s a practical, efficient solution for places like trails, parking lots, campuses, and even some streets, where traffic is low or intermittent and full brightness isn’t always necessary.
From a safety perspective, responsive lighting makes perfect sense. As someone walks through a park or approaches a car at night, the area brightens around them, providing immediate visibility and reassurance.
But motion detection can also work as a security measure. A light that switches on or intensifies suddenly signals that someone is there. It draws attention, disrupts shadows, and can discourage unwanted behavior in a way that a steady light often can’t.
The EverGen 3’s motion detection is fully customizable, so each system’s light profile can be tuned to match the site. A typical setting is 100% output when motion is detected, and about 30% when it isn’t, keeping a safe level of background light without wasting energy. This strikes a balance between visibility, comfort, and conservation, especially in public areas where total darkness isn’t an option.
Solar systems generate and store their own power. So when you reduce the energy requirement or “load”—by dimming the light during inactive hours—you can design a smaller, more compact, and most importantly, more affordable system.
Motion detection makes this possible. By keeping output lower when activity is low, we can use smaller panels and batteries, which reduces system size and cost. This opens solar lighting to sites where it might not have been feasible before, whether due to limited solar insolation, tight budgets, or even aesthetic preferences. (Many customers prefer smaller panels, not just for cost savings but because they’re less obtrusive.)
This is particularly impactful in areas like the Pacific Northwest, where long winters with little sunshine can make dusk-to-dawn solar lighting difficult. With motion detection, we can design a system that meets your site’s real usage patterns, without overbuilding.
The EverGen 3 also includes an optional group communication feature that takes motion sensing a step further. When enabled, a single light detecting motion can signal other nearby lights—within a 150-meter radius—to brighten in sync.
This means the light effectively “follows” users through a space, providing a sense of comfort and continuity, without drawing energy unnecessarily. It’s ideal for long paths and trails, or large parking areas where consistent lighting is needed, but broad, constant brightness isn’t.
Motion detection is just one example of how the EverGen 3 can be tailored to fit your project. Like everything we do, it’s part of a collaborative, practical approach: we work closely with customers to understand project needs, usage patterns, and local climate before designing the system. This ensures every detail meets your goals without oversizing or overspending.
It’s not about extra features for the sake of it. It’s about making solar work smarter—so it can work in more places, for more people.
