Nordex and Danish radar company Terma A/S have developed a needs-based aviation obstruction lighting system for wind turbines.
With the upcoming market launch of the solution, Nordex says it is taking a big step toward boosting the acceptance of wind farms among nearby residents.
Last month, Nordex and its development partner, Terma, were granted certification for their system. Nordex plans to begin serial production starting in the fourth quarter of this year. It will initially be launched for the German market and for other international markets in the medium term.
The system, based on active radar, can monitor surrounding airspace within a radius of 18 kilometers. When there are no aircraft within the airspace being monitored, the aircraft warning lights mounted on the turbines remain switched off. Any flying object approaching the project being monitored can be detected; then the aviation obstruction lighting system is activated.
According to Nordex, the system is capable of detecting all types of flying objects, whether they are equipped with transponders or not.
Over recent months, the prototype of the radar system has been trialed on turbines of the Delta generation, installed at the Janneby wind farm in northern Germany. Several pilots conducted test flights in small aircraft; the most recent one was conducted jointly with the German air traffic control authority, which has now approved the system.
