Mines, quarries, and remote yards are hard to watch. Laydown areas sit far from the office, gates go unattended after hours, and there's rarely grid power where a camera is needed. Solight builds solar security camera towers and solar light towers that you tow in, set up, and leave running on solar panels and lithium batteries: no trenching, no overnight generator, and no fuel runs just to keep cameras recording.
Solight builds most of its solar light towers in Arizona. We rent from Mesa across Arizona, California, Utah, and Nevada, and purchases ship nationwide. This page covers security: cameras, deterrent lighting, and remote viewing. If you mainly need night-shift task lighting, start with our solar mining lights page.
Security problems a solar tower helps with on a mine
- Theft from yards. Copper, cable, tools, and parts left in laydown and staging areas overnight.
- Unattended gates and access roads. Entry points that nobody watches after hours.
- Driving out to check alarms. A supervisor can pull up live or recorded video from a phone or PC instead.
- Dark areas. Equipment parking that goes dark when a diesel light plant gets shut off to save fuel.
- Sites that move. The trailer moves as the work area shifts, with no power to re-run.
Camera towers for gates, yards, and haul roads
The SOCAM line is camera-only. Every SOCAM model has an onboard network video recorder (NVR), remote access from a phone or PC, a flashing strobe, forklift pockets, and four outriggers for leveling. AI detection and audio/voice interaction are available as options.
- SOCAM-1: 440 Watt adjustable-tilt solar, 5 kWh lithium battery, four fixed bullet cameras, 20 ft telescoping mast. Towable on private property only, which suits moves inside a mine property.
- SOCAM-2: 880 Watt adjustable-tilt solar, 5 kWh lithium, three fixed bullet cameras plus one PTZ high-definition camera, 25 ft mast, foldable tongue. Towable on public roads.
- SOCAM-3: the same camera package as SOCAM-2 with a high-angled rotatable solar array and a 25 ft mast. Towable on public roads.
- SOCART: a 200 Watt push cart with 5 kWh lithium, four fixed bullet cameras, and a 15 ft mast. It fits through a standard door jamb, so it works in shops, warehouses, and plant interiors.
Light and camera towers for areas that also need light
Sometimes the same spot needs both light and cameras: a fuel island, a gate, an equipment park. For those, the SLT-S towers put LED floods and PTZ cameras on one mast.
- SLT-1200S: 1,200+ Watt three-panel array, 10 kWh lithium, two Lorex 4K PTZ cameras with 360° pan, two 100 W LED floods (32,000 lumens), 25 ft mast, onboard NVR with remote viewing from a phone or PC. Options include a 450 W wind turbine and a backup plug-in battery charger.
- SLT-2500S: 2,500 Watt ten-panel array, 20.5 kWh lithium, up to four Lorex 4K PTZ cameras with 360° pan, six 100 W LED floods (100,000 lumens), 30 ft mast, and dual inverters with 12,000 W combined 125/250 V AC output.
- SLT-4100H: a hybrid tower with a 4,100 Watt solar array, 20.5 kWh lithium, up to eight 100 W floods (128,000 lumens), and a 30 ft mast, backed by a 10 kVA Kubota GL11000 generator with a 100-gallon tank. It runs on solar first and uses the generator as backup.
Lighting-only towers (SLT-1200, SLT-1800, SLT-2500) are on the solar lighting page.
How a solar tower runs on a remote site
During the day, the solar array charges the lithium battery bank. At night, the battery runs the cameras and NVR, plus the floods on SLT-S models, which can run dusk-to-dawn or on a timer. Day to day, there's no fuel to haul and nothing to start or stop. Upkeep is minimal and mostly means keeping the panels clean.
Remote viewing works through the onboard NVR, so your team can see live and recorded video from a phone or PC and get motion alerts. Cellular data is included with rentals and is available as an option on purchased towers. With cellular data, you don't need to run a site network out to the tower. Solight does not provide a monitoring service: your team views the cameras directly.
Solar output drops in winter and long cloudy stretches. For extra margin, size up the battery and array, add the SLT-1200S wind-turbine option, or use the SLT-4100H generator backup. Tell us the site location and planned load, and we'll size the tower.
Rent or buy
You can rent or buy the same hardware. Current security tower rental rates are in the rate table on our solar security hub, and rental details are on solar security camera rental. Because we manufacture the towers, we can change camera counts, battery capacity, and lighting for a specific site.
What to send for a quote
- Areas to cover (gate, yard, fuel, equipment park, haul road) and rough distances
- Whether the tower will tow on public roads or stay on the property (SOCAM-1 is private property only)
- Whether the area also needs light
- Cell coverage at the site, if known
- Rental length or purchase quantity, and the site's city or county
Frequently asked questions
Do solar security towers work at mine sites with no power?
Yes. Solight camera towers and light/camera towers run on an onboard solar array and lithium battery bank. They do not need grid power or an overnight generator to keep cameras recording.
Can I view the cameras from my phone?
Yes. SOCAM and SLT-S towers have an onboard network video recorder with remote access from a phone or PC, and cellular data is included with rentals (optional on purchased towers). Your team views the cameras directly; Solight does not provide a monitoring service. Tell us about cell coverage at your site when you request a quote.
Which tower should I use at a mine gate?
SOCAM-2 or SOCAM-3 suit most gates. Each has three fixed cameras plus one PTZ camera on a 25 ft mast and can be towed on public roads. If the gate also needs light, the SLT-1200S adds two 100 W LED floods to two PTZ cameras.
What happens during cloudy weather?
The lithium battery bank carries the load when there is little sun. For long cloudy stretches or heavier loads, we can size up the battery and array or recommend the SLT-4100H, which adds a Kubota generator as backup.
Can I rent mining security towers?
Yes. Solight rents from Mesa, Arizona, across Arizona, California, Utah, and Nevada. Purchases ship nationwide. Rental rates are listed on our solar security page.
Do you also have lighting-only towers for night work?
Yes. The SLT solar light tower line runs from the compact SLT-450 to the SLT-2500 and the hybrid SLT-4100H. See our solar lighting and solar mining lights pages.
Get a mining security quote
Tell us what you need to watch and where the site is. Contact Solight or call 480-626-2044, Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm Arizona time. Solight, 419 E. Juanita Ave #102, Mesa, AZ 85204 · cs@solight.com.