Babcock Ranch embracing off-grid solar-powered streetlights - Gulf Coast News and Weather
Florida has long been a leader in harnessing the sun — from rooftop solar panels on homes to electric car chargers powered by solar energy. But when it comes to solar-powered streetlights, there’s still a lot of ground to cover.One Gulf Coast community is setting the pace: Babcock Ranch in Charlotte County, the country’s first fully solar-powered town. And now, a Tampa-based startup is helping light up its streets — sustainably.At Babcock Ranch’s Explorer Park, we met Liam Ryan, the young and ambitious CEO of Streetleaf, whose company specializes in off-grid solar-powered streetlights.“We have a couple hundred lights in the parks across Babcock — this is just our first project with them, and we’re hoping this grows into a great partnership,” Ryan told us.Streetleaf was born from necessity. “We were actually born out of a similar master-planned community in Tampa,” Ryan explained. “There were going to be thousands of homes, but no streetlights. So, we dove into the world of battery and solar-powered lights, saw no one was doing it at scale, and decided to do it ourselves.”Streetleaf’s streetlights run completely off the grid. Equipped with solar panels and internal batteries, they store energy during the day and power bright LED lights all night — even through cloudy days or bad weather.“Depending on the product, it’s anywhere between three to five days of battery backup,” Ryan said. “Even if someone put a blanket on the solar panel, the light would still turn on for three to five nights.” Maintenance is minimal; the internal battery only needs to be replaced every 8 to 10 years.While the idea isn’t new — President Jimmy Carter famously installed solar panels on the White House nearly 50 years ago — the technology has only recently become commercially reliable and cost-effective.“Streetleaf is the only company, and the fastest-growing streetlight company, because we offer an off-grid product that’s reliable but also cost-comparative to running a regular streetlight,” Ryan explained.For now, Streetleaf is focusing on Sun Belt states like Florida, where ample sunlight makes the math work. “In places like New York or Minnesota, you’d need a bigger panel and battery — and that adds cost,” Ryan said.But the ultimate vision? “There are around 50 million streetlights in the U.S., and 1–2 million get replaced every year,” Ryan shared. “Our ambition is to take over all of them — and have all the streetlights in the U.S. be renewable-powered.”As Babcock Ranch lights the way, Streetleaf’s expansion could help Florida — and eventually the nation — step closer to a cleaner, brighter future.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more.
Florida has long been a leader in harnessing the sun — from rooftop solar panels on homes to electric car chargers powered by solar energy. But when it comes to solar-powered streetlights, there’s still a lot of ground to cover.
One Gulf Coast community is setting the pace: Babcock Ranch in Charlotte County, the country’s first fully solar-powered town. And now, a Tampa-based startup is helping light up its streets — sustainably.
At Babcock Ranch’s Explorer Park, we met Liam Ryan, the young and ambitious CEO of Streetleaf, whose company specializes in off-grid solar-powered streetlights.
“We have a couple hundred lights in the parks across Babcock — this is just our first project with them, and we’re hoping this grows into a great partnership,” Ryan told us.
Streetleaf was born from necessity. “We were actually born out of a similar master-planned community in Tampa,” Ryan explained. “There were going to be thousands of homes, but no streetlights. So, we dove into the world of battery and solar-powered lights, saw no one was doing it at scale, and decided to do it ourselves.”
Streetleaf’s streetlights run completely off the grid. Equipped with solar panels and internal batteries, they store energy during the day and power bright LED lights all night — even through cloudy days or bad weather.
“Depending on the product, it’s anywhere between three to five days of battery backup,” Ryan said. “Even if someone put a blanket on the solar panel, the light would still turn on for three to five nights.” Maintenance is minimal; the internal battery only needs to be replaced every 8 to 10 years.
While the idea isn’t new — President Jimmy Carter famously installed solar panels on the White House nearly 50 years ago — the technology has only recently become commercially reliable and cost-effective.
“Streetleaf is the only company, and the fastest-growing streetlight company, because we offer an off-grid product that’s reliable but also cost-comparative to running a regular streetlight,” Ryan explained.
For now, Streetleaf is focusing on Sun Belt states like Florida, where ample sunlight makes the math work. “In places like New York or Minnesota, you’d need a bigger panel and battery — and that adds cost,” Ryan said.
But the ultimate vision? “There are around 50 million streetlights in the U.S., and 1–2 million get replaced every year,” Ryan shared. “Our ambition is to take over all of them — and have all the streetlights in the U.S. be renewable-powered.”
As Babcock Ranch lights the way, Streetleaf’s expansion could help Florida — and eventually the nation — step closer to a cleaner, brighter future.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more.