Maryland church converts parking lot lighting to standalone solar

A grant-funded push to go solar

Locust United Methodist Church in Columbia, Maryland relied on AC-powered floodlights to illuminate its parking lot. The church wanted to transition to solar, replacing the existing fixtures with a self-contained, solar-powered system while reusing its existing pole and concrete foundation. Because the project was grant-funded, completing it within the funding timeline was an important consideration.

The retrofit had to work around the existing structure rather than start fresh. Keeping the pole and foundation meant the new system had to mount to what was already there, and the design needed to deliver full parking lot coverage from the pole’s existing 20-foot mounting height.

A retrofit that reused the existing pole

Leadsun replaced the AC-powered fixtures with two solar-powered RS30 LED luminaires connected to an AE6S200V12B96 solar engine. The system pairs a 200W solar panel and a 12.8V 1230Wh LiFePO4 battery with twin 30W luminaires on a twin-head tenon crossarm, using Type 3 optics at 4000K and PIR-controlled 30-100% dimming. The photometric design was built around the existing 20-foot mounting height.

The existing pole and concrete foundation were retained, avoiding the need for a new pole or foundation. To complete the retrofit, the church’s contractor lowered the pole so the work could be done at ground level before reinstallation — a straightforward approach that kept the project on its grant-funded schedule.

Reliable solar power since day one

The solar lighting system has operated since January 2026. Customer follow-ups in February and August confirmed the equipment was working well, with Leadsun maintaining communication around cold-weather operation and system monitoring. To date, the system has required no service calls or repairs.

The church reported satisfaction with both the equipment and Leadsun’s support. The installation delivers parking lot illumination using standalone solar power, with no ongoing grid electricity consumption for the new lighting system.

Leadsun Products Used

• Number of lights – 1 solar system with 2 LED luminaires

• Solar module series – AE6S200V12B96 with RS30 Twin LED

• Solar size – 200W PV

• LED output – 60W total (2 × 30W RS30)

• LED programming – PIR-controlled 30%–100% adaptive dimming

• Battery – 12.8V 1230Wh LiFePO4

• Optics / CCT – Type 3, 4000K

• Pole type – Existing pole retained (retrofit); twin-head tenon crossarm, black finish

• Pole footing – Existing concrete foundation retained

• Mounting height – 20 ft