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PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — A Tampa-based company is making sure the lights stay on even in the aftermath of a storm.
Streetleaf is harnessing solar power to make it happen.
Liam Ryan is the CEO of the company, having started as a small grassroots program just a few years ago. Now, in just a few years, his company has expanded from Tampa to other areas throughout the country.
“These lights will stay safely lit, even when the power’s out. We’ve just seen the need throughout Pasco,” said Ryan. “We have 13,000 streetlights deployed, 5,000 of those are in Pasco County.”
The lights are completely solar-powered and run on their own batteries.
“They’re completely off-grid, which means they’re not connected to the utility grid. There’s no wires underneath the ground. They are 100% solar-powered. That solar panel powers the battery and that battery is what turns the light on at night,” said Ryan.
The battery, Ryan said, is equipped with a multi-day backup. Meaning if there’s none to hardly any sunshine the lights will stay on for three to five days.
During Hurricane Ian, the streetlights kept a neighborhood lit for 10 days while residents were without power.
“What impressed us as we moved here in Angeline is they are automatic when you drive by under them,” said Zahra Tayarani, a resident in Angeline and a teacher at Angeline Country Day School. “So they turn on and they are always on.”
Angeline is another neighborhood with Streetleaf’s streetlights. Tayarani said having a light source disconnected from the main power grid provides peace of mind.
“It is really important for a community that knows that we are living in a safe area and that we know that if something happens during a hurricane, at least we have somewhere to kind of get shelter. That somebody can see us,” she said.
A feeling of being seen during a time of vulnerability. And more communities will feel the same.
“We’re actually in 21 other counties within the state of Florida and ten other states in the United States,” said Ryan. “We’re just seeing that need in other parts of the country as we grow and expand.”
Pasadena Ridge in Dade City is installing more than 100 of these solar streetlights, bringing Pasco County’s total to more than 5,400 solar lights, which is a U.S. record.

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