X. September 2026
Case Study
The Sønder Bork wind farm is located in Denmark’s Midtjylland region, approximately 100 km north of the German border. It consists of five Vestas V162 wind turbines with a total capacity of 30 megawatts.
In preparation for the planned introduction of an Aircraft Dection Lighting System in Denmark, this wind farm was selected as a pilot project. Together with the Danish authorities and the operator, the project was intended to demonstrate what an ADLS could look like under Danish legislation. In this initial phase, the ADLS was operated exclusively in reporting mode, without switching off the obstacle lighting.
Normally, an ADLS suppresses the lighting at a wind farm as long as no aircraft is in the vicinity. Detection is carried out using transponder signals. For this pilot project, the light:guard Aircraft Dection Lighting System (ADLS) was installed and reliably detected aircraft.
To analyse when the lights would be switched on and off, a virtual Light Control Unit was developed to simulate control of the lighting. The data was evaluated over a period of six months, from March 2026 to September 2026. The average lights-off time was 97%, and system availability was 98%. This demonstrated the functionality and performance of the light:guard system under the current legal framework in Denmark.
The Sønder Bork wind farm is located in the Sønder Bork district of the municipality of Hemmet in the Midtjylland region of Denmark, approximately 100 km north of the German border and close to the North Sea coast. It consists of five Vestas V162 wind turbines with a total capacity of 30 MW, or 6 MW per turbine. The site is located in a rural area, far from larger towns.
There is currently no legislation in Denmark that permits aircraft dection lighting systems at wind turbines. Corresponding legislation is in preparation, but has been postponed several times. Sønder Bork is therefore Denmark’s first ADLS pilot project. The project was intended to demonstrate what an ADLS could look like under the current legal framework in Denmark. To this end, the pilot project was planned as a reporting project together with the Danish authorities and the operator.
The legal requirements for ADLS in Denmark are already largely known. For example, Danish regulations require aircraft to be detected from an altitude of 300 feet, approximately 91 m, above ground level. This made it possible to define the framework conditions clearly and simulate the ADLS realistically at the wind farm.
While Light:Guard Receivers (LGRs) are typically installed at heights of 80 to 175 m above ground level at German wind farms, the Sønder Bork site only permitted installation at ground level, with the antennas positioned at a height of approximately 4–5 m. Based on current knowledge, this is the world’s lowest receiver installation for an ADLS.
A Light:Guard Receiver was installed to detect aircraft in the area surrounding the Sønder Bork wind farm. Hardware specialist Heiko Nöldeke travelled to the site in March 2026 to install the receiver. Together with the Danish project partner, the receiver was installed at ground level and the antennas were mounted on the outside of the substation.
Because the lighting of the five turbines could not yet be suppressed by the light:guard system due to the lack of legislation, the aircraft dection lighting system was simulated. A virtual Light Control Unit (LCU), developed specifically for this project, was used for this purpose. Normally, the LCU controls the lighting at the wind farm; in this case, it was used exclusively for reporting.
Six months of data, from March 2026 to September 2026, were evaluated to analyse when the lights would be switched on and off.
Since 9 March 2026, the system has been delivering reliable reports. Over a period of six months, it produced excellent results:
System availability: 98%
Lights-off time: 96.7%
The proportion of time when the lights were on, as well as the number of errors that occurred, was minimal. This demonstrates the high quality of the light:guard system even under the special conditions of a low-level ground installation in a new regulatory environment.
Satisfied with the results
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“With this case study, we were able to demonstrate that the light:guard system operates reliably even under these specific conditions: in a new regulatory environment, with an unusually low number of receivers installed, and in accordance with the detection requirements established for Denmark. We now hope that the law will be passed in Denmark soon so that we can reduce flashing there as well.”
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The Sønder Bork wind farm is built and commissioned.
Sdr. Bork Vind K/S and Light:Guard begin working together. They agree to carry out a three- to six-month pilot project. The pilot is intended to test the functionality and performance of the light:guard Aircraft Dection Lighting System in accordance with Danish regulations. In this initial phase, the ADLS is operated exclusively in reporting mode, without switching off the obstacle lighting.
Light:Guard carries out a preliminary analysis at the wind farm to identify the best location for the Light:Guard Receiver (LGR). The so-called line-of-sight analysis produces a positive result. It is decided to install the LGR at the substation.
Due to the legal requirements in Denmark, the turbines cannot yet be switched to dark mode. Instead of installing a standard Light Control Unit (LCU) to control the lighting at the wind farm, Light:Guard therefore develops a virtual LCU. This virtual LCU measures and processes the data. The reports make it possible to determine how often the ADLS was available and how long the flashing could theoretically have been suppressed.
Light:Guard installs the transponder receiver—the Light:Guard Receiver—at the wind farm. It is installed together with the antenna in or on the substation. At a height of five metres above ground level, this is the lowest receiver ever installed at a wind farm.
The light:guard system is commissioned and begins detecting the transponder signals of aircraft. The ADLS pilot project in Denmark begins collecting data.
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Unser Vertriebsteam wird sich in Kürze bei Ihnen melden und nach weiteren Informationen zu Ihrem Windpark fragen. Gern stellen wir Ihnen auch die einzelnen Einsatzgebiete der Shutdown Control noch einmal detailliert vor.
Sie entscheiden, welche Varianten der Abschaltung Sie benötigen – beispielsweise die Harvest Control Plus mit automatisierter Abschaltung dank Kamera-Erkennung oder die Harvest Control Light mit Steuerung per App.
Danach erhalten Sie ein unverbindliches Angebot. Bei Annahme zahlen Sie eine einmalige Summe für den Anschluss und eine jährliche Gebühr für die Shutdown Control. Diese wird verbaut, aktiviert und ihr Windpark erfüllt alle Auflagen.
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Ihre Nachricht wurde erfolgreich übermittelt
Unser Vertriebsteam wird sich in Kürze bei Ihnen melden und nach weiteren Informationen fragen, falls nötig. Daraufhin erhalten Sie ein unverbindliches Angebot für Ihren Windpark.
Wir prüfen, ob Ihr Park in einem unserer vermessenen Gebiete steht. Falls ja, muss bei Ihnen kein Light:Guard-Receiver installiert werden.
Danach wird ihr Windpark mit der nötigen Hardware ausgestattet. Diese kann bei Vestas- und Nordex-Anlagen auch schon ab Werk verbaut werden. Dann wird Ihr Park an unser System angeschlossen und die Anlagen dunkel geschaltet.
Stöbern Sie gern weiter durch unsere Website und lesen Sie die neuesten Entwicklungen zum Thema Bedarfsgesteuerte Nachtkennzeichnung. Oder schauen Sie dieses Video von BNK in Betrieb. Oder folgen Sie uns doch gern auf LinkedIn. Oder machen Sie sich einen Kaffee. Den haben Sie sich verdient.