Solar powered LEDs to help plane landing

An airfield in the United Arab Emirates, is set to power its lighting with photovoltaic solar panels. The airstrip is set to boost its visibility and help guide planes to landing with a solar powered light emitting diode (LED) system.

LEDs consume less energy than standard lighting and so can make efficient use of the electricity produced by microgeneration. They are also fast to deploy, with Carmanah Technologies Corporation – which has received the $600,000 contract – claiming that the lights for a temporary airstrip can be laid down in less than an hour.

This is a possibility because the firm has done away with the need for cables by making the whole system wireless and the systems use of microgeneration frees it from having to connect to the grid.

Chris Zegger-Murphy, business development manager for Carmanah, said: "Solar aviation lights offer significant advantages over traditional systems whether an airfield has access to grid power or not.

"But in remote locations where the nearest source of reliable grid-based electricity can be hundreds of miles away, its really an attractive alternative."

Rapid Electronics are one of the UKs leading suppliers of electronic components, electrical products, and industrial supplies to the Assembly Manufacturer sector.