The nights are getting darker in Schleswig-Holstein
BNK SH Nord and Lanthan Safe Sky (LSS) are converting more than 300 wind turbines to transponder-based aircraft detection lighting system
- BNK SH Nord and Lanthan Safe Sky are working together to ensure that the red warning lights on a total of 324 wind turbines are switched off across the board.
- The cooperation of numerous northern German operators represents the largest contiguous transponder-based ADLS project.
- The ADLS is to be activated in the first parts of the region this year
Walldorf, August 10, 2021
Few topics are discussed more frequently in the context of the energy transition than the acceptance of wind energy, which is the most important component of renewable energies in the fight against the climate crisis. Night-time light emissions from aviation warning lights on wind turbines are one of the main “disruptive factors” that can be significantly reduced through the use of innovative technologies. As part of the Energy Collection Act in 2020, it was decided that all existing and newly erected wind turbines must be equipped with an aircraft detection lighting system (ADLS for short) by the end of 2022 at the latest. This means that the warning lights are generally switched off and are only switched on when helicopters or aircraft approach at a certain height and distance.
Lanthan Safe Sky’s ADLS solution uses the transmissions of transponders on board the aircraft, which must always be activated at night. “Flight safety has the highest priority here and must be proven in a comprehensive process for every project. This is ensured through close cooperation with airsight, the type approval body appointed by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI),” explains Marc Förderer, Head of Business Development at Lanthan Safe Sky. “Despite these extremely high safety requirements, an almost one hundred percent switch-off time is achieved in most cases in Germany.”
Following the successful world premiere of the transponder ADLS system in Schleswig-Holstein at the end of February, things are progressing rapidly in the federal state: in northern Schleswig-Holstein, numerous operators have joined forces to form BNK SH Nord to ensure that the red warning lights are switched off at night across the board. “Over the last few years, we have analyzed and evaluated various technologies and providers of ADLS systems. In the end, we voted unanimously in favor of Lanthan Safe Sky. We look forward to working together to equip the more than 300 wind turbines with an ADLS system that will benefit local residents and the surrounding nature,” says project manager Lewe Ketelsen from BNK SH Nord.
Lanthan Safe Sky GmbH, which was founded from a company based in Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen and Walldorf near Heidelberg, is currently the market leader among transponder ADLS manufacturers. “We are delighted to be able to supply this important project for Schleswig-Holstein. The merger of many northern German operators represents the largest contiguous ADLS project that we serve,” explains Marten Seifert, part owner and authorized representative of Lanthan Safe Sky. “We are now starting to plan the installation of the signal receivers and the control of the wind turbines. The approval process will be initiated in parallel. We assume that the first parts of the area will remain dark at night before the end of this year. Further projects are already being implemented in other districts of Schleswig-Holstein, including Dithmarschen, Ost-Holstein, Steinburg and Rendsburg-Eckernförde.”
About Lanthan Safe Sky GmbH
Lanthan Safe Sky GmbH‘s mission is to make the sky safer and nights darker. It emerged from the founders and players of Lanthan, Air Avionics and RECASE and thus combines the expertise of a leading provider of obstacle marking systems, an aviation-approved avionics system manufacturer and an experienced engineering and consulting service provider in the field of renewable energies.
The companies involved came together years ago to bring secure, cost-effective and sustainable detection technologies to market maturity with the Transponder ADLS.
They worked hard over a long period of time to create acceptance for this young technology. With success, as a broad consensus was reached: New legal regulations in countries such as Germany, but also at the ICAO, the world’s highest-ranking international civil aviation organization, allow the use of transponder ADLS technology, which is emission-free and based purely on the reception of data that every aircraft transmits anyway.
About BNK SH Nord
BNK SH Nord GmbH & Co. KG is an association of 87 wind farm operators from the Schleswig-Flensburg and Nordfriesland regions, which operate a total of 324 wind turbines. It bundles the interests of its shareholders. The majority of these are community wind farms, which already enjoy a high level of acceptance among the population. BNK SH Nord was founded in 2019 with the aim of jointly implementing aircraft detection lighting systems in wind turbines. This is also intended to further expand the existing acceptance of wind energy among the population. BNK SH Nord is open to other interested parties in the region and is sure to grow in the coming years.
