Austria introduces ADLS for wind turbines

Austria is now also introducing Aircraft Detection Lighting Systems (ADLS) for wind turbines. The corresponding law was was passed by the Federal Council in April.

Aircraft Detection Lighting Systems reduce the flashing of wind turbines at night to a minimum. This works by the ADLS system monitoring the airspace around a wind farm. The obstruction lights of the wind turbines are only activated when an aircraft is in the vicinity. This reduces light pollution, which is often a thorn in the side of local residents. The technology contributes to the acceptance of wind energy and ultimately to the accelerated expansion of wind power. One of the leading ADLS systems is the light:guard system.

In Germany, on-demand night-time marking is required by law and has already been tested in practice. Many countries want to follow suit, and the wind industry in Austria has also spoken out in favor of the use of ADLS.

In June, the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection announced that demand-based night-time identification would initially be introduced on a voluntary basis. Originally, there was talk of an obligation as in Germany.

In Austria, however, it is regulated differently. In Germany, each wind farm obtains its own ADLS system from a provider. In Austria, Austro Control will be centrally responsible. It monitors Austrian airspace and delivers the ADLS signals to the wind farm. A fee is charged for this. The wind farm must be able to receive and process the signal in order to control the suppression of the lighting. Austro Control will provide the ADLS interface and the technical specifications by August 30. After that, they will supply the signals for the Aircraft Detection Lighting System.

As an experienced ADLS expert with many systems in use, Light:Guard can already make Austrian operators an offer. Our Light Control Unit (LCU-T) works with all turbine types and is offered as a standard ADLS interface by Nordex, for example.