LEDs are the heart of an innovative new runway lighting system being implemented at the busiest airport in the country, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International. Developed with Siemens Airfield Solutions, the system will drastically slash power consumption and streamline maintenance operations.
The key to the new system was solving an issue that has plagued many traditional large-scale LED setups. The problem: older designs required each individual light fixture to have an internal power supply for converting AC power into a usable form of electrical current. These setups suffered from energy loss during the conversion (negating some of the efficiency benefits of an LED system). More maintenance was also needed because of the added complexity and equipment.
The fix was simple yet ingenious. The new setup at Hartsfield-Jackson provides direct current to the entire system by using a central constant control regulator. It uses the airport’s existing electrical infrastructure, but eliminates the need for power conversion at each light fixture. The resulting LED units are far more efficient and simple to maintain, containing just seven key components in each light.
Efficiency improvements are truly spectacular: when installation of the new system is complete, Hartsfield-Jackson projects a 98% reduction in runway lighting power consumption. The 17,000 runway lights will use just 40,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually as opposed to 2.21 million kWh under the old system, eliminating 5.4 million pounds of carbon emissions and 28,000 pounds of sulfur emissions each year.
Plus, the indirect benefits are nothing to scoff at either: the simpler, more reliable equipment will drastically cut the need for maintenance trucks in the field, saving 4,700 gallons of gasoline each year.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
i would like to find out more about led for runway lighting and if we can use our 6.6 current output regulators 60hz
we have a 7000ft runway
looking forward for your reply. Thanking you in advance
I would like to know the specifications for RunWay light
1. Maximum Power (Watts) of each light
2. Illumination intensity (height- 50 ft, 100ft etc)
3. light position above ground level
4. Any other information that is necessary for designing a cost effective run way light solution.
Appreciate if some one can answer my questions. Regards, Gautham
In addition to the above mentioned questions, which I also need to know, my runways are in the sub arctic. Will these LED lights work in the cold, or would they need heaters on the lenses? I would like to replace my Siemens quartz inset lights also. Not only are they inefficient, the heat loss in winter causes ice formations to form over the lenses, disrupting light output.
If I wish to replace the runway and taxi (parking) lighting by LED lights, What shall be the wattage of lamp for each application.
My existing fittings are 200 watts Halogen for runway and 45 watts halogen for taxi