LED RRFB Archives - Availed Technologies

We sat down to talk to Texas Highway Products (THP), a trusted distributor partner of Availed Technologies, about the rapidly growing RRFB industry.

For 25 years, THP has provided traffic control products to municipal, county, and state agencies throughout Texas. As a long-time supporter and exhibitor at TexITE and IMSA Southwestern Section events, THP has the knowledge and expertise to support traffic departments throughout Texas.

In this Q&A, we’ll delve into THP’s insights on the recent advancements in RRFB technology, and their experiences with the AV-400 RRFB.

Q: Can you tell us about Texas Highway Products and how it has established itself as a trusted partner in the traffic control industry?

A: Texas Highway Products (THP) has been serving the municipal, county, and state traffic agencies throughout Texas for the past 25 years. We have earned our reputation as a top distributor by providing a high level of customer service and field support, and through our long-time support and participation in TexITE and IMSA Southwestern Section events.

THP has the knowledge and expertise to support traffic departments in Texas, whether it’s a small town or the TXDOT.

Q: Can you tell us about the products that Texas Highway Products represents?

A: In addition to Availed Technologies, Texas Highway Products represents other quality traffic products such as Q-Free, Clary, Encom, EDI, and Pelco. Availed’s products are available through Texas Highway Products and the Local Government Purchasing Cooperative Texas BuyBoard.

Q: How has the RRFB industry changed in recent years?

A: The RRFB industry has seen a rise in the use of standardized signposts for RRFBs, which has dramatically reduced the installation cost, time, and complexity. This has been made possible by improvements in power efficiency, allowing leading products like the AV-400 to be small and compact enough to mount on signposts.

Q: Where do you see the industry going in the coming years?

A: The RRFBs are still under interim approval with the Federal Highway Administration and will be included in the next edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) by May 15, 2023.

We expect the usage of RRFBs to increase even more once they are included in the revised MUTCD. You can find more information on it on the MUTCD site.

Q: What changes are you seeing in the use of RRFBs?

A: The use of RRFBs is on the rise, as cities throughout Texas are making improvements to be increasingly more pedestrian-friendly. For example, Fort Worth recently ordered the Availed RRFB and the city is taking great pride in the steps being taken to give their residents safer transportation options.

The City of Cedar Hill is another example of an agency that has been using RRFBs for improving pedestrian crosswalks. Cedar Hill plans to become one of the most walkable cities in Texas, and RRFBs will play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of pedestrians and cyclists on its roads. There are many other municipalities in both the Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio areas that are utilizing Availed RRFBs as part of their pedestrian improvements.

In summary, Texas Highway Products is a valued and knowledgeable distributor partner for Availed Technologies. With a focus on customer service and field support, THP services are an indispensable asset for traffic agencies in Texas.

With the increasing prevalence of RRFBs in the industry, and the backing of Availed’s tools and experts, THP is well-equipped to meet the growing demand for pedestrian safety solutions.

Image source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/landscape-photograph-of-skies-912364/

How much do you know about the power of solar RRFB systems?

In today’s blog, the team here at Availed Technologies outline common FAQs surrounding solar-powered RRFB systems: namely what the common array-to-load (ALR) variables are and what to keep in mind when maximizing power consumption.

Firstly, What Makes the ALR so Crucial?

The fundamentals for ensuring that the power of solar RRFB systems will be reliable year-round hinge on having a system where, on a daily basis, the power generated is greater than the power consumed. In the solar field this is known as the array-to-load ratio, or ALR.

Many of the variables for determining the ALR are intuitive, while others are less so. The following variables are considered the most common:

Time of Year, Latitude, and Historical Weather

A given system will have a much greater ALR installed in the sun-belt than in the Pacific Northwest. Time of year, latitude, and historical weather are all variables that are captured in solar insolation data available from NREL (the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.)

Industry best practices are to ensure the ALR of a system is a minimum of 1.2:1. To calculate this, the solar insolation value (measured as equivalent sun hours) for the month that has the lowest solar insolation for the year (typically December) is used.

Trees and Buildings

One often overlooked variable is shading from trees and buildings. Google’s Street View provides an excellent tool for determining the shade derating of a particular location, and it is important that this is factored into the calculation.

Why? Because more shade, of course, equals less daily power!

‘Under-the-Hood’ Variables

Also frequently overlooked are the ‘under-the-hood’ variables of solar RRFB systems themselves.

On the power generation side of the equation, this involves the solar panel and charging system that work together to deliver power to the batteries. Monocrystalline solar panels provide greater efficiency over polycrystalline solar panels; this difference is greatest during marginal charging conditions where, for an RRFB application, this is often when charging is most critical.

Similarly, Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) charge controller technology provides greater efficiency over PWM (Pulse Width Modulation, particularly during lower light conditions where power generation can be so crucial.

The variables discussed so far are on the power generation side of the equation. On the power consumption side there are often very significant differences between different manufacturers’ systems and the technologies that are used.

Solar RRFB System Power Consumption

Before outlining the power consumption variables of solar RRFB systems, it should be noted that there are some inherent ‘buffers’ that make RRFBs particularly well-suited for solar power.

During the winter months where solar insolation is at its lowest, there is typically lower pedestrian activity… particularly during inclement weather. In addition, with shorter daylight hours comes more activations occurring in darkness when the system runs at a lower intensity, as dimming is required by the MUTCD for RRFBs and works to mitigate the disability glare that occurs if the light intensity is too bright.

Now, onto key solar RRFB system power consumption variables:

LED Efficiency

LED efficiency is a key variable in power consumption of an RRFB system. LEDs have been described as the ‘enabling technology’ for solar traffic devices and the gains seen throughout the years have been a game changer.

The landscape keeps changing and today there are ultra-efficient premium LEDs that, while cost-prohibitive for many applications, provide energy savings for devices like solar RRFBs that are significant.

The light intensity specification for RRFB LED indications is SAE J595 Class I which requires a relatively narrow beam pattern, much narrower than the ITE specification for LED Traffic Signal Modules. Compared to school zone flashers and 24-hour flashers that utilize these modules RRFBs require far less power which makes the device particularly well suited for solar power.

At the same time, in part due to the directional beam pattern combined with the irregular flash pattern, the RRFB is far more effective than traditional flashing beacons for a pedestrian activated warning system at uncontrolled crosswalks.

Wireless Technology

Another determining factor of power consumption is around the wireless technology used.

When one RRFB system is activated by the pedestrian push button all other systems commence activation simultaneously through being connected wirelessly. A wireless system designed for this specific application will consume a fraction of the power of a system designed for more general ITS applications.

Similarly, a controller that is designed specifically for the RRFB application will consume far less power than a controller designed for multiple applications. A well-designed controller will manage all the functions of the system with microchip level components on a single printed circuit board assembly. These functions include charging, powering the LEDs, field adjustments such as flash duration, and wireless connectivity between systems.

In short, an inefficient system can consume nearly four times the power compared to a highly efficient system. The Availed AV-400 RRFB, with a 20W solar panel and 14Ah battery capacity, will have a greater operating capacity than a less efficient system with a 60W solar panel and 50Ah battery capacity.

Energy Storage

Energy storage is the other key factor that needs to be considered and properly specified. The purpose of including batteries in an RRFB system is two fold: to enable operation during dark conditions when there is no charging, and to enable the system to operate through extreme weather conditions where over a 24 hour period the power generated could be less than the power consumed (ie when the ALR ratio is less than 1).

Consider a scenario when there are heavy overcast skies day after day in the winter time when daylight is already greatly reduced. In these conditions, charging will still occur with systems that have efficient charging technology, however the system could run an energy deficit where more power is consumed than generated during a 24 hour period. Sufficient battery capacity will ensure that the system will continue to operate throughout these conditions.

Industry best practices are for a system to have an autonomy of 5-to-10 days. A system with a high ALR will maintain reliable operation even with a lower autonomy due to the system’s ability to maintain charging in challenging conditions.

Start Utilizing the Power of Solar RRFB Systems Today

Given the multitude of variables involved in both the power generation and power consumption, the best way to evaluate an RRFB is with a Solar Performance Report that provides the array-to-load (ALR) and autonomy calculations.

Need help getting started harnessing the power of solar RRFB systems? Reach out to Availed Technologies today.

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Texas Highway Products: Availed Technologies’ Trusted Distributor Partner