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World Premiere: First Transponder-Based ADLS System in Operation

Walldorf / Neuengörs, Germany - The on-demand nighttime identification of wind turbines with an Aircraft Detection Lighting System (ADLS) is considered a key to greater acceptance of wind energy.

In the case of transponder-based systems, Lanthan Safe Sky GmbH from Walldorf was the first company to receive licensing approval. With the commissioning of the Lanthan Safe Sky ADLS system at the Neuengörs-Weede wind farm in Schleswig-Holstein, the first transponder-based system is now in operation.

ADLS system achieves switch-off times of over 98 percent

At 6:30 p.m. on Friday (Feb. 26, 2021), the time had come at Civic Wind Farm Neuengörs-Weede in the district of Segeberg in Schleswig-Holstein: the permanently flashing signal lights were switched off permanently and, with the help of the retrofitted ADLS system, will only light up in the future when aircraft are actually in the vicinity. Another special feature of the ADLS project is that, according to ADLS manufacturer Lanthan Safe Sky, it is the world's first transponder-based ADLS system that will ensure dark nights in a wind farm with immediate effect.

Beaconing systems from Robur Wind are installed on the six wind turbines. An ATS-3 and a central ATS-4 receiver from Lanthan Safe Sky now reliably switch the beacon lights. In addition, Siemens Gamesa has installed smart aviation lights on the wind turbines, which function like motion sensors for aircraft in connection to the transponder-based ADLS. Even in the airspace close to airports, the transponder-based ADLS can reach an average of 98 percent light-off-time, in most cases even close to 100 percent.

Lanthan Safe Sky, Siemens Gamesa and wind farm operators welcome implementation of project

"Public acceptance of wind energy plays a crucial role in its viability for the future. The transponder-based ADLS represents an important building block for us as local operators“, says Eike Schuldt, General Manager of the Civic Wind Farm Neuengörs-Weede, expressing his delight at the activation of the system. Achieving maximum switch-off time of the obstruction warning light represents an enormous relief for both residents and the environment, he added.

"In the fight against the climate crisis, we do not just need turbines which produce cleaner energy at lower prices, but also innovations which can make wind energy generally more accepted. I am very pleased today that Siemens Gamesa can be a part of this world premiere", said Peter Fritzsche, Managing Director of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Service GmbH, emphasizing the importance of ADLS technology for the wind energy sector.

Switching off the permanent lighting was also a special moment for Gerd Möller, Managing Director of Lanthan GmbH, who, together with other team members, invented the transponder ADLS more than eighteen years ago and has championed the technology ever since. " In 2004, we were first introduced to the concept of on-demand aircraft detection lighting and started to focus on this topic. Since then, we have continually improved our transponder-based system, and the long-term dedication to this technology has also been rewarded," Möller recalls, referring to the mandatory introduction of demand-controlled night marking in 2018 as part of the Renewable Energy Law.

Blueprint for further projects: 100 projects underway

Neuengörs in Schleswig-Holstein is not only a special premiere for Lanthan Safe Sky, but will also serves as a blueprint for further projects which will shortly follow. Lanthan Safe Sky says it meanwhile has open contracts to equip more than 3,000 wind turbines. From these, almost 100 projects are in various stages of realization. "Even with the legal deadline being extended to the end of 2022, both residents and environment benefit from a more rapid implementation. Every obstruction light being turned off is one more step further in the direction of sustainable and future-oriented wind energy," says Lanthan Safe Sky Managing Director Mitja Klatt, expressing optimism that the lights will soon be deactivated in more wind farms.



Source: IWR Online, 05 Mar 2021

 


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