Although not bright enough for professional or college-level stadiums, this new LED-based solar-powered lighting system does have a lot of staging and maybe even some rental apps.  And, the system is available as a fully portable solution. Using the energy-efficient LED lighting technology, the system can illuminate areas up to 40 meters by 20 meters with bright white light (even though the picture they gave us of a system seems to show very yellow light). Advanced battery cells provide up to eight hours of floodlighting on a single solar charge. The system is also highly sustainable, with a rugged design able to withstand most weather conditions.

The new solar LED floodlighting system is available to order now from Philips on a project basis. Philips can provide a total solution including the LED floodlights, portable poles, solar panels and batteries, or just a set of floodlights. The system can also be used for sporting or non-sporting applications in locations without access to an electricity grid, and is perfect for emergency lighting for disaster situations. More information can be found at www.philips.com/offgridlighting

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I’d probably change the wording above to say “lots of rental and maybe a few staging apps” since in any outdoor staging application that is too far from an electrical source, you’d have a generator anyway. But I can see some rental situations, such as approaches to multi-day outdoor events, where this kind of solar-powered floodlight rig might be useful. But, personally, I’d probably look to cross-rent it from a general rental company (like United Rentals) for the few times I’d need it than to put it in the rental inventory of an AV company.
–JRR