People living near the Noordoostpolder wind farm in the Netherlands, which features 38 turbines on land and 48 in the water, have found the flashing red lights coming from the turbines to be disturbing. This led Westermeerwind BV, the owner of the offshore part of the wind farm, to address the issue as well as to explain why this kind of lighting is needed.
Namely, wind turbines with a height of 150m or more are equipped with so-called obstacle markers to alert pilots that there are wind turbines in the way. The aviation signalization consists of daytime white flashing lights and red ones for nighttime.
Of the 48 offshore wind turbines, 11 have daytime white lighting and 4 of these also feature red night lights. When it comes to the onshore part of the Noordoostpolder wind farm, 21 out of the total 38 turbines are each equipped with a set of daytime, nighttime and tower aviation lighting.
Even though Westermeerwind is just under 150m in height, the wind farm stands next to the turbines on land which are higher than 150m. For this reason, the aviation authority requires that the turbines are equipped with lights.
Westermeerwind BV said that it also finds the night lights to be too bright when the weather is clear. However, putting these lights on the turbines is in line with recommendations from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that are advised to be applied by the authorities.
“During the preparations for Westermeerwind, we have done our best to reduce the lighting to a minimum,” Westermeerwind BV said. “Together with the other Noordoostpolder wind farms, we are in talks with the national aviation authority (Inspectorate of Aviation and Transportation) on the possibilities to limit the visibility of the lighting. Regulations are being prepared for dimming the lights when there is good visibility to reduce the inconvenience for the neighborhood.”
Offshore WIND Staff