Otter Tail installs new aircraft detection lighting system at North Dakota wind center

Minnesota-based Otter Tail Power Company recently installed a radar-activated aircraft detection lighting system (ADLS) at its new 150-megawatt Merricourt Wind Energy Center in southeast North Dakota.

Otter Tail installed DeTect’s Harrier ADLS solution at the Merricourt Wind Energy Center, which provides continuous 360-degree radar surveillance of the airspace across the 14,000-acre site. It is a safe alternative to the typical flashing red warning lights on wind towers, the company said.

“This radar surveillance system automatically activates obstruction lights to alert pilots only when aircraft is detected within three and a half nautical miles of the facility,” Otter Tail Power’s Renewable Energy Construction and Operations Manager Harvey McMahon said. “Warning lights remain dim until aircraft detection, keeping light at a minimum.”

It is also less disruptive to area residents than the flashing red lights at night.

“It was important to us to minimize the impact on local communities without compromising aircraft safety in a timely manner,” McMahon said.

North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak concurred.

“This light mitigation technology is one of the ways companies like Otter Tail Power Company are mitigating the impact of energy development on North Dakota’s landscape,” Fedorchak said. “We’re excited about this technology and its ability to help preserve North Dakota’s beautiful night skies.”

The Merricourt Wind Energy Center, with its 75 Vestas wind turbines, produces enough energy to power 65,000 homes annually. By 2023 approximately 35 percent of Otter Tail’s energy generation will come from renewable resources, with nearly 90 percent of that renewable energy being wind powered.