When the ADLS detects an aircraft within three nautical miles of a wind farm, it activates the red warning lights, and the system turns the warning lights back off after the aircraft leaves the area. To ensure aviation safety, if the ADLS experiences a malfunction, the warning lights will flash, regardless of whether there’s an aircraft in the area, until the system is restored.

To detect aircraft, towers with a rotating radar antenna use existing communication paths to connect to all the existing warning lights on our wind turbines. This advanced airspace surveillance technology allows the ADLS to monitor for any aircraft that enter the zone, including airplanes, helicopters, ultralights and gliders. Most of these aircraft are anticipated to be very minimal at night, and commercial aircraft flying at a normal cruising altitude should not activate the warning lights.

In addition to reducing the lights’ impact on the community, the ADLS system will also reduce energy consumption at select wind farms, likely extending the operating life of the warning lights.