BNK obstruction light system
The German wind industry is preparing to comply with Anhang 6 of the AVV regulation which asks for wind farms to be equipped with a BNK system (Bedarfgesteuerte Nachtkennzeichnung), also known as Aircraft Detection Lighting System (ADLS). This specific regulation will apply for onshore turbines from 31 December 2022 and for offshore turbines from 31 December 2023. This regulation aims to ensure safety for air traffic in the proximity of wind farms at night, whilst reducing light pollution at the same time.
Wind turbines are marked with obstruction lights for passing air traffic, making sure the obstacle is visible to pilots and safety is ensured. In addition to this, the new regulation makes BNK systems mandatory for existing and new wind farms with the intention to further reduce light pollution at night. BNK systems combine the obstruction lighting with a system that detects when an aircraft is within a certain range of the wind farm, and turning the lights on at that time.
Orga’s certified L240-GFW-IRG-G obstruction light in combination with the CIP402-22 system controller provides full compliance with Anhang 6 for BNK when used in combination with a BNK system. The obstruction light system is compatible with all BNK/ADLS system offered in the German market, whether it is transponder or radar based.
The BNK regulation
Reducing light pollution and energy consumption by:
Operating on demand
With the introduction of BNK, the lights will only turn on at night when a BNK system detects an aircraft that is within a certain range of the wind farm.
LED technology
We introduced the use of state of the art, smart LED technology which reduces the power consumption of the light.
Adapting light intensity
The intensity of the light is set to the minimum possible by adapting the brightness of the light to local weather conditions.
Accurate light beam
Smart high definition optics in Orga’s lights ensure that the light beam is as accurate as possible, so that it meets the regulations visibility requirements, with minimum light pollution in the surrounding area.
Including InfraRed
The obstruction light includes built-in InfraRed, which makes the turbine visible for pilots in aircrafts using their Night Vision Goggles.
Typical new built system
The regulation is applicable for all existing and newly built wind turbines in on-and offshore wind farms. In case of existing farms, this means that the choice needs to be made between replacing the existing AOL (aeronautical obstruction light) system for a new system or adding lights to the current system. In this case, Orga recommends to replace the existing obstruction lighting system for a new built system as this is the most efficient solution, making the wind farm compliant and future proof for many years to come. The set-up of this system has been visualised in a document together with datasheets of the products:
Typical new built systemIf you prefer another solution regarding your current AOL system, we would like to ask you to contact us.
Your trusted and reliable partner
Orga has over 15 years of experience in connecting our obstruction lighting systems to BNK systems. Our obstruction lights are tested and certified by third parties to ensure full compliance with the regulatory requirements of the new BNK legislation in Germany. The majority of Orga’s installed obstruction lighting systems are already compatible with either radar or transponder-based systems or can easily be made compatible, ensuring full compliance with the new BNK regulation. Check our reference projects to read more about our BNK experience.
Reuβenköge project Oldenbroker Feld project