Feb 17 2010
Carmanah Technologies Corporation (TSX: CMH) has received an order valued in excess of $275,000 USD through its authorized South African distributor, Sun Solutions, to supply solar powered LED airfield lights to Waterkloof Air Force Base in South Africa (ICAO: FAWK). The Air Force Base is home to the South African Presidential Squadron and is a designated supply hub for World Cup 2010.
Sun Solutions installed Carmanah solar taxiway edge lights, solar runway end lights, solar runway threshold lights, solar taxiway edge lights, and a solar LED windsock as part of a recent large-scale airfield upgrade required by the South African Air Force (SAAF).
“Carmanah has been supplying solar LED airfield lighting to defense and commercial customers since 1998 and we very pleased to add Waterkloof to Carmanah’s global customer list,” said Ted Lattimore, Carmanah CEO. “Fortunately, our industry has reached the point where green technology is not only environmentally responsible, it’s cost effective. A Carmanah solar LED lighting system can be installed without needing specialized work crews, trenching, digging, or disruptions to air traffic due to a lengthy construction period. The lights are also completely self-sustaining, relying only on the sun’s clean, limitless energy to power them,” added Lattimore.
Carmanah distributor Vincent Joubert of Sun Solutions, who oversaw the installation, agreed. “The entire installation of several hundred lights was simple, needing just a few days of labour for a small work crew. The Carmanah lights integrated with the existing systems, and only minimal training was required for the base personnel to learn to operate the lights.” Joubert also attested to the reliability of the Carmanah solar LED airfield lighting system, reporting that “Waterkloof Air Force Base recently experienced an overwhelming electrical storm and we are happy to inform that the Carmanah solar lighting system was unaffected. The lights performed flawlessly.”