In spite of statewide financial catastrophe; the perpetual threat of earthquakes, fires, and floods; and a chief executive who seems to think the state's name begins with G, California still has a quality or two to recommend it. Especially sunny SoCal, whose flagship municipality has recently begun making the switch to off-the-grid, solar powered LED streetlamps. Carmanah's EverGEN 1700 Series is "a self-contained solar LED lighting solution with advanced occupancy sensing capabilities... ideal for parking lot, street, and site-lighting applications."

EverGEN 1700 Series. Designed by Carmanah and Frog Design.

EverGEN, which was created in collaboration with a team at Frog Design, illustrates the obsolescence of traditional grid-tied public lighting. Installation of EverGEN lighting is nigh-on chaos free. The lamps can be retrofitted to existing poles or mounted atop new lightweight stands. Since they don't have to be tapped into the grid, they require neither the heavy machinery, noise, and traffic disruptions of trenching, nor the time-consumption and expense of cabling. In fact, one guy can install the EverGEN 1700 in about 30 minutes. If you're of the doubting variety, check out this installation video.

Of course, EverGEN's environmental benefits surpass this easy, low-cost installation. The lights are all equipped with wireless communication capabilities and motion sensors, helping them to effectively think as a unit. The upshot is that entire areas are illuminated or allowed to go dark depending on human traffic patterns. And EverGEN never wastes energy by lighting when the sun still shines. Furthermore, Carmanah's industry-leading ultra-thin monocrystalline technology captures and converts the sun's rays with extreme efficiency. And the panels can be manipulated by hand to find the best angle for solar capture. All EverGEN batteries and components are recyclable.

The streetlamps also help diminish the perception that solar is necessarily ugly. EverGEN's solar cell panels are neither hugely out of proportion with the medium nor especially conspicuous. In Fact, they look just as good if not better than your average run of the mill city lamppost. As Carmanah CEO Ted Lattimore says, "though it's a tough, high output, industrial-strength light, the quality finish and distinctive, contemporary styling would look great just about anywhere, but best of all it performs better than anything in its category-it's a practical, cost-effective, renewable energy alternative."

Via FastCoDesign.