Windplan Groen, a cluster wind farms in the Netherlands, has installed detection technology so turbine lights only switch on when air traffic is in the vicinity of the site.
The switching off of the evening and night lights follows a successful test period of several weeks, which started in mid-July.
During the period, it was tested whether all signals worked whether the red lights on the 86 wind turbines of the 11 wind farms in Windplan Groen cluster switched on when small planes and helicopters approached.
“Switching off the evening and night lights is in line with our desire to be a good neighbour for our environment,” said Allard van der Steege, chairman of Windkoepel Groen, the organisation behind the 11 wind farms.
He added: “We understand that some local residents experience the red lights as a nuisance and have decided to invest in technology that reduces light pollution.
“This is not mandatory, but we think it is logical. We were helped by the province of Flevoland.
“He set up a subsidy scheme for this type of system and worked hard for us to make the system a reality.
“We appreciate that.”
Windplan Groen’s proximity detection system – Aircraft Detection Lighting System (ADLS) – is not unique, but it is the first time that it has been applied to 11 wind farms at the same time.