Download - Harting

Jens Grunwald
Luminous Eyes
Lighting solution for wind turbines
Enercon is the world’s 4th largest manufacturer of wind energy systems,
and it is the undisputed market leader in Germany. Enercon has been
cooperating closely with the HARTING Technology Group since 1985.
The latest project within the framework of this well-established
partnership is the development of LED-based interior lighting systems
for wind turbine towers.
For safety reasons, dependable lighting, which fully illuminates the
inside of the tower, must be provided on wind turbines. Standard
fluorescent lamps with an emergency lighting feature have been
used in the past, but they have several disadvantages. Installation
of the lamps in the towers takes a lot of time and effort.
Maintenance intervals for fluorescent lamps are relatively
short, and the lamps have a short service life.
By comparison, LEDs (light emitting diodes) have definite
advantages which result in higher reliability and enhanced
occupational safety. Cost of ownership is also lower. In
2006, Enercon began looking for a new LED-based interior
lighting solution for the towers on its E70/E82 (2 MW)
wind turbines.
LEDs work the same way as semiconductor diodes,
and they emit light when they are forward biased.
LED lamps have a very long life. They are
maintenance free and highly versatile. LEDs can
also be switched very rapidly from illumination
mode to non-illumination mode. The light beam
can be clocked at speeds up into the MHz range.
The expected life is > 100,000 hours, which
exceeds the expected life of fluorescent lamps
by a wide margin.
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