In order to save energy, Geneva Airport is completely renewing the lighting of its aircraft maintenance hangar. Within three months, the 136 sodium lamps in the building will be replaced by energy-efficient LEDs.
Perched in their gondola at a height of 15 meters, the technicians are busy. Dismantling a 23 kg light fixture is no small task. The aim of the job is to replace all the light bulbs in the aircraft maintenance hall at the end of the runway. This is where all the cleaning, inspection and repair operations of the airliners at Genève Aéroport are carried out. Between 7 and 9 aircraft can be parked at the same time on the site thanks to the impressive dimensions of the place: 250 meters long and 60 meters wide.
Efficacité énergétique: on démonte les lampes à sodium du grand hangar from Genève Aéroport on Vimeo.
Obsolete and energy consuming lights
Why did you launch this 480,000 franc project? "The lighting dates from the 1960s. The sodium lamps are now
obsolete and very difficult to repair or replace. In addition, standards have evolved and Genève Aéroport must guarantee a certain level of lighting to the companies that use this hall," explains Yves Flecher, electrical project manager.
Genève Aéroport is also seeking to minimize its
carbon footprint. As part of the Swiss government's
"Energy Exemplarity" initiative, it has undertaken to reduce its overall energy consumption by 15% by 2030.
The refurbishment of the lighting of the large hangar will allow him to:
- achieve
30% energy savings
- double the level of lighting and thus be up to standards.
LEDs have a lifespan of 70,000 hours, compared to 12,000 for a sodium lamp. The replacement of bulbs will therefore be less frequent and this will avoid disruptions for the companies. Maintenance work cannot be performed above an aircraft.
"Intelligent lighting"
A lighting management system, directly connected to the platform's weather station, will also be integrated into the system. It will modulate the intensity of each LED according to the brightness outside. This
"smart lighting" will make greater use of the daylight coming through the building's glass doors installed in 2016.
The work will be carried out without stopping the activities of the hangar and will be finished in three months.