A new age begins: Wismar is upgrading to Solar-Sea guide!

A new age begins: Wismar is upgrading to Solar-Sea guide!

On April 27, 2011, a memorable day was a memorable day for the crew of the Wismar sea mark. On this date, the last gas -fired lightone was rested on board and thus ended an era in the wismam. This was the transition to a new technology that worked with sunlight from now on.

For about 40 years, the gas-powered lanterns have been an essential navigation aid for seafarers in this coastal area. But on this special day it was announced that 70 new, solar -powered light heads are put into operation, which would safely guide shipping through the waters. "Actually, the solar age has started much earlier," explained Mario Fröhlich, head of the outskirts of the Lübeck Water Stream and Shipping Office (WSA). A successful test operation for this new, environmentally friendly technology has been running since February 2005.

Environmental technology with new options

The conversion of the lighthouses required extensive technical adjustments. The old toning bodies were redesigned so that they were able to absorb the new solar lights as part of a special quick-closing system. This system enabled the crew to easily change the approximately 250 kilos of solar heads with a bord crane. That meant a considerable relief, because in the past they had to be recovered with repairs to the entire toning body.

In addition, the new generation of the lake sign is almost maintenance-free, which is particularly important in long frost periods. In such cases, the systems sometimes have to be fetched from the water surface.

A look back at the gas-fired age

A look back into 2001 is reminiscent of the challenges of the gas lanterns. On a cold December day, the crew went on its usual journey to rescue sea sign. Shipper Eckhard Rath described the cloudy weather at the time with "Schlappe two degrees, gray in gray." It was important to catch up with a shallow water lighthrit, the gas filling of which was almost exhausted after over two years. The exchange was routine, even if the crew had no particular pleasure in it.

After the heavy parts of the toning body and lamp head were on board, thorough cleaning followed to remove seapox and shells. Such maintenance work was carried out in the protected port facilities, which offered a certain amount of safety and comfort.

A decisive part of the work remained the exchange of gas containers, an elaborate but usual procedure. Again and again experts pointed out that the future belongs to the solar -powered systems. And that should come true soon.

The total costs for the conversion were estimated at around 8,000 euros per solar barrel. Despite this investment in new technologies, the idea of the future -proof use of solar energy for shipping was a positive aspect. After all, it is known: the sun does not send an invoice.

This switch to environmentally friendly technology not only creates more sustainable use of the maritime resources, but also more efficient shipping in the region. More details can be found in a detailed report in a detailed report www.nordkurier.de .