Vineyard Wind responds to lighting system complaints

Updated Aug. 6

Days after hearing from a heated Nantucket select board, Vineyard Wind announced Friday that it has integrated all of its offshore wind turbines with a system that activates red lights at night only when aircraft are flying overhead. The system has been the subject of complaints for not being completed when the company said it would be.

The aircraft detection lighting system, or ADLS, is activated through radar when planes are within a specified distance of the wind turbines. The system is supposed to reduce lighting from 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to fewer than four hours a year, based on use of airspace above the lease area.

Residents on both the Vineyard and Nantucket have complained about light pollution from the turbines of Vineyard Wind 1. Integration of this system was even part of a list of demands made by Nantucket earlier this week to the offshore wind project. Previous reports said that the system would be in place last May, but it was then pushed to June.

In a call for increased communication and accountability from Vineyard Wind, Nantucket also demanded that for every day the system isn’t active, the company should pay $25,000 per turbine. It also asked Vineyard Wind and subcontractors to appear before the select board to explain in detail the history and future plans for activation.

“We should note that it was Nantucket leadership in negotiating for ADLS that contributed to ADLS becoming a standard requirement in the bid processes for offshore wind projects throughout the country,” Greg Werkheiser, attorney for the town on offshore wind matters, said in the press conference Tuesday. “Now, since January of 2024, Nantucket residents have dealt with dozens and dozens of red lights constantly blinking throughout the night sky.” 

He added that explanations for the delays of system activation have been “convoluted, inconsistent, and unsatisfactory,” and that Vineyard Wind hadn’t met “multiple targets for activation,” placing blame on technical issues, partners, and subcontractors.

The community benefits agreement, called the Good Neighbor Agreement, established between the town of Nantucket, the Maria Mitchell Association, and the Nantucket Preservation Trust, included an obligation of Vineyard Wind to install ADLS to “reduce nighttime lighting and minimize the potential impacts of the projects on the Nantucket Historical District Landmark.” The Maria Mitchell Association pulled out of the agreement in October last year.

Three days after the list of demands were announced, however, the system is in place, according to the offshore wind company. The company said Friday that at the start of July they had a functioning radar system across the entire project, and the lighting system was functional on more than 60 percent of the installed turbines. In the past month, they’ve installed the system on the remaining installed turbines. Now lights on the towers should flash when an aircraft enters the project’s radar radius — three miles from any turbine — and stop flashing when the aircraft exits.

“Recognizing that this lighting system is a critical priority for our neighboring island communities, Vineyard Wind has worked hard for the past year to accelerate the deployment and implementation of ADLS across the project as quickly as possible,” Klaus S. Møller, CEO of Vineyard Wind, said in a statement Friday. “This is a complex technology requiring extensive work and coordination between various contractors and construction teams, and I would like to thank them for their efforts in activating this system as commissioning continues. As the project advances, the system will be integrated into additional turbines.”

There were 23 installed turbines as of Wednesday, July 23, according to an investor report from Iberdrola, the parent company of Avangrid — one of the project’s developers.

“As construction continues and the ADLS is integrated on additional turbines, the lights may be periodically activated due to a number of factors. More turbines will be brought online as installation continues, and some blinking may be observed as commissioning of the system takes place,” the statement also said.

In a press release Friday afternoon, the town of Nantucket said news that the integration of ADLS in installed turbines was the “first substantive response” to calls for accountability.

“Subject to verification from the town that the turbines are not just hooked up to the system, but

that the system is working properly and reliably, the town welcomes this announcement,” the statement said. “The town urges Vineyard Wind to focus its continued attention on significantly reducing the lag time between when lights get turned on and when ADLS reduces their impact on the night sky. Further, the town renews its call for Vineyard Wind to provide regular public updates on ADLS deployment as new turbines are constructed.”

Vineyard Wind hasn’t otherwise responded to the list of demands from Nantucket, which the town gave a deadline of August 12, as of Friday. The town maintains that it is pro–renewable energy development as a means to address climate change, but wants responsible development.

James Hagerty, town administrator for Edgartown, earlier this week told The Times that he met with Nantucket officials recently about the ADLS system, as the lights are visible from places on the Vineyard such as South Beach.

A reporter from The Times went to the Right Fork of South Beach around 10 pm Monday. There were only two red lights blinking from turbines at the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm, 15 miles south of the Island, and some white lights visible that could have been from construction.

“It’s great news,” Hagerty said about the activation of the ADLS. “Unfortunate that it took this long to execute.”

There remains some confusion about the different wind farms south of the Island, however, as was evident from a select board meeting in Chilmark Tuesday, where members of the audience discussed the different projects and lighting systems.

Flashing red lights were visible Monday farther west of the Island, presumably from the 65-turbine Revolution Wind offshore wind farm, which is 12 miles southwest of the Island. The project is developed by Ørsted, a global renewable energy company based in Denmark, and the U.S.-based investment fund Global Infrastructure Partners’ Skyborn Renewables. The wind farm will send power to Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Meaghan Wims, a spokesperson for Ørsted, said ADLS will be initiated when construction on Revolution Wind “is complete and the project is in operation.” Wims previously told The Times that the project is on track for completion in 2026. Wims said the system is already in use at another Ørsted project, South Fork Wind, which is completed, sends energy to New York, and is located about 20 miles southwest of the Island.

Editor’s note: Updated to include on the ground visuals from a reporter as well as information from the Chilmark Select Board meeting and on Ørsted projects.