In a massive undertaking projected to improve safety and cut costs, the Tennessee Valley Authority, SBC Construction, and Mesa Engineering are collaborating to replace the lights on four transmission towers located in the Tennessee River. The location is close to Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant near Athens, AL.
To satisfy FAA requirements, the 300-foot towers must have aviation lighting and a monitoring system for the lights, which will alert a maintenance crew in the event one of the lights malfunctions. According to The News Courier, the TVA is upgrading the tower lighting system, replacing electric lights with solar-powered LED lights.
The new LED lighting system provides a solution to issues caused by lightning striking overhead ground wires, according to TVA project manager John Pickering. “This new system will solve a lot of those maintenance problems and provide a more reliable system for areas that are hard to get to,” Pickering told The News Courier.
Each tower will be fitted with five small solar panels on its south-facing legs to store the maximum amount of solar energy, eight deep-cycle batteries for storing power, and three LED lights. Each of the solar panels generates approximately 320 watts–enough power to charge 86 smartphones.
Small windmills, integrated with the battery backups to contribute minimal wattage assistance, will be installed on the new system primarily to keep birds from building nests near the new solar panels. Completing the transition from electric to LED lighting systems is expected to take between three and four months.
January 30, 2018
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