Chichester Yacht Club Magazine February 2017 | Page 16

Te c h n i c a l & S a f e t y

The total height of a turbine and rotors is currently up to about 150 metres .
Theoretically an observer with a height of eye 3 metres would be able see the tips of the blades at 28 nautical miles , while the nacelle would , if 70m high , be visible to the same observer at 20 nautical miles in clear visibility .
Wind farms are required by the General Lighthouse Authority to be marked so as to be conspicuous by day and night , with consideration given to prevailing conditions of visibility and vessel traffic .
In certain cases , cardinal marks may also be permanently placed adjacent to wind farms . During construction standard cardinal marks will be used around the area as we see with Rampion .
A corner structure , or other significant point on the boundary of the wind farm , is called a Significant Peripheral Structure ( SPS and will be marked with lights visible from all directions in the horizontal plane .
These lights should be synchronised to display simultaneously a characteristic , flashing yellow , with a range of not less than five ( 5 ) nautical miles . Aids to navigation on individual structures are placed below the arc of the rotor blades , typically at the top of the yellow section .
Wind farm structures could , over time , affect the depth of water in their vicinity . In areas with strong tidal streams , changes in the scouring of the seabed may occur which may result in depth information being unreliable .
Wind farm structures may have local effects creating eddies nearby although they are only likely to be significant very close to the structures .
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