Carmanah Technologies Corporation 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.”

About Waterkloof Air Force Base
The home base for the South African Air Force (SAAF) Presidential Squadron, Waterkloof is the largest operational SAAF base, fulfilling a crucial military role. Military missions include VIP transportation, reconnaissance, Aerial Refueling (AR), Electronic Warfare (EW), and Electronic Signals Intelligence (ELINT). Waterkloof is also used for humanitarian operations and can accommodate commercial air traffic. The base will see additional air and ground traffic during World Cup 2010 as it has been designated as a cargo hub for the event.

Waterkloof has an 11,000 foot (3,350 meter) runway and a secondary 6,000 foot (1,500 meter) runway used by a wide variety of military aircraft to perform daily missions. Aircraft permanently based at Waterkloof include the Dassault Falcon 900, Boeing 737-700 BBJ, Lockheed C-130 Hercules, and the CASA CN-235.

About Carmanah Solar LED Aviation Lights
With thousands of deployments worldwide, Carmanah solar LED lighting solutions are backed by a track record for performance and reliability on major airfields such as LAX, Chicago O’Hare and Vancouver International Airport. Designed to provide airfield lighting that operates independently of grid or generator power, Carmanah solar airfield lighting provides reliable illumination for taxiways and runways that can be quickly and easily deployed. The Carmanah A601, A650, A702 series and A704-5 solar lights are ruggedly designed to be compact, self-contained solutions that provide portable or permanent airfield lighting when and where it’s needed.