No more constant night-time lighting

W.E.B retrofits all its wind power plants in Germany

W.E.B operates almost 250 wind power plants around the world, of which 46 are located in Germany alone. Wind turbines of 100 meters (about 330 feet) or more in height require so-called obstacle lights or beacons that keep flashing at night to warn aircrafts and helicopters. New regulations in Germany now make it possible to equip wind power plants with on-demand night-time marking, also called aircraft detection light systems (ADLS), meaning that the warning lights will only go on when a flying object approaches. Wind turbine operators have until December 31, 2022 to retrofit their plants. W.E.B does not want to wait that long, though: all W.E.B wind power plants in Germany will be equipped with on-demand night-time marking (based on transponder technology) in cooperation with Lanthan Safe Sky by mid-2021. The safe and licensed technology of Lanthan Safe Sky uses signals that aircrafts are already emitting to calculate their position. In other words, the hazard lighting system is activated only when needed. 

“We are fully aware that residents often consider the flashing lights on our wind turbines at night as disturbing. Our new technical equipment is a huge step in the right direction, though. In the future, we will be able to reduce the light pollution from our wind power plants by more than 98 percent, while at the same time continuing to guarantee aircraft safety in the skies. For this reason, we are playing a considerable part in increasing the general acceptance of wind energy,” as Stephan Jeznita, managing director of W.E.B in Germany, explains his excitement for the new technology on the wind turbines of W.E.B.