For safe skies and dark nights

Lanthan Safe Sky upgrades 61 wind turbines from SAB WindTeam GmbH to transponder-based ADLS system

• SAB WindTeam GmbH has opted for Lanthan Safe Sky to convert its portfolio of 61 wind turbines to a transponder-based aircraft detection lighting system (ADLS).
• Thanks to the innovative ADLS system, residents and nature will benefit from maximum switch-off times for hazard lights one year before the legal deadline.
• Lanthan Safe Sky was the first company to receive approval for the transponder-based ADLS system and was also able to successfully establish the approval processes for switching off lights at night before all other providers.

Walldorf, February 22, 2021

The conversion of wind farms to aircraft detection lighting systems (ADLS) continues to gather pace. Even though the legal deadline for converting turbines subject to mandatory labeling has been postponed to the end of 2022, many operators want to stop flashing their lights at night well before the deadline. Itzehoe-based SAB WindTeam GmbH, together with Lanthan Safe Sky, the inventor and manufacturer of the innovative transponder-based ADLS system, has set itself the goal of switching the lights off as early as the end of 2021 and only switching them on when necessary. This is good news for residents living near wind turbines and the surrounding nature, as the new technology will significantly reduce the time the obstruction lights are switched on. The signal lights are only activated when there is actually air traffic in the airspace and approaching the wind turbines. Despite exceeding all safety requirements, an almost one hundred percent switch-off time is achieved in most cases in Germany.

The SAB portfolio of 61 wind turbines (WTGs), consisting of several turbine types and generations from the manufacturers Vestas and Enercon, which are spread across the five districts of Börde, Burgenlandkreis, Salzlandkreis and the districts of Mansfeld-Südharz and Harz in Saxony-Anhalt, also includes a Mixed wind farm solution in addition to complex wind fields.

“After an extensive selection process, we chose Lanthan Safe Sky as a competent but also pragmatic partner for the implementation of aircraft detection lighting systems. The solutions offered are a very good fit for our wind farm portfolio,” explains Tobias Volkmann, Managing Director of SAB WindTeam GmbH. Tobias Volkmann cites the fact that the implementation comes from a single source as another positive aspect of the collaboration: “The new lighting lamps, which are equipped with infrared technology, are almost exclusively supplied by Lanthan, one of the founding companies of the Lanthan Safe Sky joint venture, meaning that only the interfaces need to be ordered from the manufacturers.

“We are very much looking forward to working with SAB WindTeam GmbH and to a fast, successful implementation of the project. Every day that the light goes out earlier counts,” says Mitja Klatt, Managing Director of Lanthan Safe Sky GmbH, adding: “When it comes to the future viability of wind energy, the keyword ‘acceptance’ comes up again and again. Our mission is to increase the acceptance of wind energy through innovative technology and thus make a valuable contribution to the energy transition. We have pursued a sustainable approach in the development of the system right from the start: Thanks to good cooperation with the manufacturers, we have succeeded in configuring the ADLS components in such a way that, as a rule, the existing signal lights on the wind turbines can continue to be operated. This saves resources and is more cost-effective for wind power operators.”

Another advantage is the scalability of the technology, from very small wind farms to large cross-operator projects. With signal provision, where any hardware (ATS-3 or ATS-4) remains the property of the system provider, a new product solution is also available that will enable even the smallest projects to use the Lanthan Safe Sky Transponder ADLS cost-effectively.

“Our strategic partnerships and customer-centric solutions are one of our unique selling points,” says Marc Förderer, Head of Marketing at Lanthan Safe Sky. “Not only were we the first approved ADLS provider, we were also the first to successfully complete the necessary approval processes. We therefore have every reason to be optimistic about the future and look forward to convincing even more customers of our solutions.”

About Lanthan Safe Sky GmbH

Lanthan Safe Sky GmbH’s mission is to make the sky safer and nights darker. It emerged from the founders and players of Lanthan, Air Avionics and RECASE and thus combines the expertise of a leading provider of obstacle marking systems, an aviation-approved avionics system manufacturer and an experienced engineering and consulting service provider in the field of renewable energies.

The companies involved came together years ago to bring secure, cost-effective and sustainable detection technologies to market maturity with the Transponder ADLS.

They worked hard over a long period of time to create acceptance for this young technology. With success, as a broad consensus was reached: New legal regulations in countries such as Germany, but also at the ICAO, the world’s highest-ranking international civil aviation organization, allow the use of transponder ADLS technology, which is emission-free and based purely on the reception of data that every aircraft transmits anyway.

About SAB WindTeam GmbH

SAB WindTeam GmbH is a medium-sized project developer and operator of onshore wind farms. Based in Itzehoe, the company offers complete project planning of onshore wind farms through to approval. The range of services also includes the structuring/financing of projects, their realization on site as well as management and operational management during the operating phase. The priority is to expand the company’s own portfolio in order to position itself as an independent power producer in the German and French markets. The company also offers services for third parties. The experienced team has already successfully implemented around 40 projects with more than 450 MW in Germany and France since 2006.

Contact Details:

Lanthan Safe Sky GmbH Wieslocher Str. 38 69190 Walldorf   Contact Person: Mitja Klatt Tel.:+ 49 (0) 6227 69 89 630   E-Mail: mkl@lanthan-safe-sky.com   Website: www.lanthan-safe-sky.com

SAB WindTeam GmbH Berliner Platz 1 25524 Itzehoe   Contact Person: Oliver Kayser Tel.: 04821/ 40397 0 (Zentrale) Fax: 04821/ 40397 77   Website: www.sab-windteam.de