This S4GA Webinar is dedicated to the installation and maintenance of Solar Airfield Lighting.
During the Webinar, we explain the main stages of installation of solar AGL and present the benefits of S4GA solar lighting solution.
Total time required for installation, testing and commissioning of solar AGL are 20-30 working days. Maintenance of S4GA solar airfield lighting includes only cleaning solar panels and replacing the batteries when needed. Airport personnel is always notified in advance about upcoming maintenance by S4GA ALCMS.
S4GA provides full technical and after-sales support for its Customers. We provide onsite training for airport engineers, online training, video tutorials, manuals and technical specification documents.
The Installation and Maintenance of Solar Airfield Lighting Webinar was hosted by Mr Dmytro Kuczeruk – S4GA Business Development Manager.
| QUESTIONS | ANSWERS |
| Q1: Is the ALCMS configured before it arrives to the site? | A1: Yes, ALCMS is pre-configured in factory and some customisations are also made onsite. |
| Q2: Can these portable solars stand the jet blasts? | A2: S4GA has a certified jet blast resistance of 240km/h. If you are interested in this topic, please visit S4GA Youtube Channel and watch the Webinar dedicated to the matter. |
| Q3: How do you vary the brilliancy stages of lights without the CCR’s ? | A3: S4GA fixtures have in-build mini CCR in each light. These mini CCR supply power to the LED. So when we send signal to 100 lights, then 100 mini CCRs supply the same amount of power to each light. This way we can be sure that each of the light has the same brilliancy. |
| Q4: How do you demonstrate compliant photometric output following initial commissioning for acceptance and during the operational & maintenance phases? | A4: As a manufacturer S4GA supply compliant lights that are tested first in our laboratory and then in an external accredited laboratory. Photometrical output after installation or during the light usage should be tested by installation company or by the airport.
Click here to check Intertek photometric certificates for S4GA products. |
| Q5: Does the system give you an automated warning about battery or light that needs replacement? | A5: Yes, the system provides you with an individual light monitoring. It informs you if the battery in any of the light is faulty or doesn’t work, or if the light is not functioning well.
If you are interested in this topic please visit S4GA Youtube channel and watch our Webinar on Control and Monitoring System with lots of useful information regarding this topic. |
| Q6: Do you set the parameters or are they pre-programmed by S4GA? | A6: The parameters of the monitoring are pre-programmed by S4GA. |
| Q7: How S4GA lights operate in a dusty environment, for example when they are located next to the coal mine? | A7: S4GA lights have ingress protection of IP 67, so they are fully protected against dust. However it should be taken in to account that in case of close distance between airport and for example coal mine, you will have to clean solar panels more often. |
| Q8: What is the maximun distance between the radio control unit and the external antena? | A8: There is almost no distance limitation, as each light is a repeater. Therefore distance between control tower and the first light can be as high as 1,5 kilometer and then signal will be retransmitted to the further located lights. |
| Q9: Does PAPI power bank meet frangibility requirements? | A9: Yes, PAPI power bank is installed on the frangible deck the same way as guided signs or wind direction indicator. |
| Q10: Do you need to register the radio communication medium for the ALCMS communication to each light unit? | A10: No, as the radio is below 16 milliwatt and is not transmitting that much data, it doesn’t require any registration in the local radio authority. |
| Q11: Are there embedded threshold lights? | A11: Yes, there are embedded threshold lights as well. |
| Q12: Is the lighting intensity constant or do you have a control on the intensity? | A12: In S4GA we have five levels of intensity control. |
| Q13: Do these radio frequency, on which lights are controlled, affect on localizer and other radio communication? | A13: S4GA lights have been tested by Armament Institute of Technology in Poland in accordance with electromagnetic compatibility testing and test results showed that there are no interference with navigational aids such as ILS, VOR, DME or radar. Also the frequency used by S4GA, which is 868 MHz is a different frequency than used by navigational aids at airports. |
| Q14: What are the 5 steps current levels? Normally in traditional systems 2.8-6.6 A. | A14: In S4GA case, steps are not set as a percentage of Amperes. It is set as a percentage of light output – 1, 3, 10, 30 and 100 % of the maximum intensity. |
| Q15: Are the solar lighting systems as provided compliant with Precision Runway facilities CAT I, II or III operations ? | A15: S4GA solar system can provide high intensity runway lights that can be used to equip Category I Airport. However the Category II and III would require lots of inside lights for the touchdown zone, approach, centreline – therefore in this case making a solar sytem out of it, would cost too much and it wouldn’t be financially feasible. |
| Q16: Does your system follow ICAO only or FAA and others too? | A16: S4GA System follows ICAO purely and in many cases, by its design, it is also compliant with FAA. |
| Q17: Can a standard type battery be used for the replacement? Or must it be supplied by S4GA? | A17: In S4GA lights we use a standard type battery which you can buy locally. Watch the video ‘How to replace battery in SP-401 Airfield Light’. |
| Q18: Is the solar panel frangible? | A18: Yes, the solar panel is frangible. S4GA holds frangibility certificate for entire lighting fixture. |
| Q19: What about reliability as compared to power lights? | A19: With full responsibility we can say that the solar system is more reliable than conventional lights. Even though the conventional light is designed with as highest reliability as possible, it still has certain bottlenecks. For example: in a conventional system you have centralised power source with many elements like: cables, circuits, substations, generators – if any of these element would stop working, the entire system or part of the system would stop operating.
In S4GA solar system you have so called “distributed power source” which means that each light is powered individually. Therefore the probability of losing all the lights is zero. If you would like to find out more about reliability of solar system I recommend to watch webinar dedicated to S4GA five level protection system. Watch this short movie to learn about reliability of S4GA solar airfield lighting. |
| Q20: How long lights can work during fully cloud conditions, means number of days? | A20: Even in case there would be no sun, only nights, lights would still work for 15 days.
Even during fully clouded conditions there is still charging process happening – it is less effective charging but it is still happening. In most parts of the World S4GA solar lights will work without interruption 365 days a year. Watch video about how S4GA lighting operates on solar energy. |
| Q21: Can the solar lighting system be used for all size airports? Or is it more advisable for smaller airports? | A21: Solar lighting system can be used on all kind of airports. S4GA lights has been installed on international airports, general aviation airports, military air bases, small airports, medium-sized airports. The size of the airport doesn’t matter (check S4GA Case Studies).
What matters is if the airport is located in the area without a reliable electrical supply – the solar lighting. In that case solar solution is the best option for you as you will be able to run airport regardless of the reliability of your electrical supply. |
| Q22: Will you install these systems or can we install the systems locally? | A22: The system can be installed locally but we can support you by providing a training, supervision or installation test support. |
| Q23: When talking about cost savings compared to traditional lighting system, could you give an indication what is the cost reduction for a small/regional airport with 1 runway? | A23: Compared to conventional system it’s going to be at least 40% cheaper to install the solar solution. In some cases the cost reduction can be even up to 70%. |
| Q24: What is the temperature constant of S4GA lights, harsh environment like Middle-East where temperature reaches above 60 degrees? | A24: S4GA lights are also installed in a very hot environments, including deserts, and they still work perfectly. The component that need to be selected carefully is, of course, the battery, as it should be adjusted to the location where lights will be installed.
S4GA has a battery that can work from -40°C to +80°C. |
| Q25: Are S4GA lights available in medium-intensity and high-intensity? | A25: Yes, they are available in both high and medium-intensity. |
