The provinces and the wind turbine sector have announced that they are now ‘looking at the roll-out of these technologies throughout the Netherlands’.
Radar system and transponders
One of the systems uses a radar system. After favorable test results in Zeeland, the technology is now also being used in the new Wind Farm in Friesland.
The second system uses transponders, the transmitters with which aircraft transmit signals. This also appears to work well. “The system is currently being adjusted. This means that the red aviation lamps in Windpark Krammer have been turned on less and less since the beginning of this year,” say the Dutch WindEnergy Association (NWEA) and the Interprovincial Consultation (IPO).
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Red lights to warn air traffic are mandatory for all windmills higher than 150 meters. In principle, the lights should be on all night. “That can cause nuisance to local residents,” according to the provinces and the windmill industry.
Who’s going to pay?
Although the technical means to combat light nuisance are available, not all wind farms can be equipped with them in a short period of time. Flight tests must be carried out for each wind farm to see whether the system works properly. The costs of a radar or transponder system per wind farm are between 60,000 and 100,000 euros. The question is who should pay for that. The wind sector, the provinces and the national government are still discussing this.
The NWEA estimates that about 80 wind farms in the Netherlands have red lighting. That number could almost double in the coming years, because there are still about 75 wind farms in preparation that are legally obliged to install the flashing lamps, the organization says.
dead birds
Windmills are not only dangerous for airplanes, but also for birds. According to research, an average of twenty birds per year fly against the blades of each turbine. They have found a solution for this in the Krammer Wind Farm in Zeeland: a sensor that stops the windmill when birds arrive. That just costs quite a bit of money. Watch the video below:
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