Wind & Weather Monitoring

A Beacon of Long Island Sound Research & Education

Keeping an offshore lighthouse operational required technology that was at the cutting edge of its time. Lighthouses have historically been trailblazers and early adopters in sustainable off-the-grid living systems.

Read the full feature story about the Lighthouse Renewable energy systems on the Victron Website.

The Greens Ledge Light off-grid living system comprises the following components:

• System Monitoring: Cerbo GX, 2 x SmartShunt (Connection via Verizon LTE)

• Charge Controller: 6 x SmartSolar MPPT 150|85-Tr Solar Charge Controller

• Inverter: Phoenix Inverter 3000VA

• Solar Panels: 12 x 300W Renogy Solar Panels

• Wind Turbine: Primus Air X Marine 400W 24V Wind Turbine

• Backup Battery Generator: Fischer Panda AGT- 6000 24V DC Generator regulated by Victron Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC Charger

• AC Backup Charger: Centaur 24-Volt 60 amp charger

• Battery: 12x 2V MasterVolt MSV 1650Ah Gel Battery

• Watermaker: Spectra Watermaker 24V Newport 700 Series

• Heater: Webasto Thermo 230 24V 80k Btu Hydronic Heater w/ REAL Heat Fan Heaters (1 Per Floor)

• Water Heater: Webasto Waterheater 20 ga

Light Beacon (Optic): A new energy-efficient LED lantern replaced the old incandescent VRB-25 lantern. The new VLB-44/2.5 LED beacon, also manufactured by Vega Industries of New Zealand, is completely self-contained, requires nearly no maintenance, has an amazing life span of ten years and is brighter than its predecessor.

Sound Signal: The Lighthouse has one of the only active fog horn systems in Long Island Sound. 

Solar Power: The lighthouse can produce up to 15kwh per day in solar energy which is more than enough to run all the interior lighting, and appliances, as well as the monitoring and safety equipment.

Wind Turbine: Let there be wind! 💨 We installed a new micro wind turbine from Primus WInd to supplement our solar power array! The turbine - typically installed on sailboats - has a 400W peak power output at 25-30 mph wind speeds - gusty conditions that are typical in the winter months when the solar is unable to keep up with the draw from our monitoring and interior humidity control systems.

Water System: While the Keepers of past generations relied on rainwater collection and cistern tanks, the Spectra Watermaker can produce up to 700 gallons of drinkable fresh water per day straight from Long Island Sound using 100% solar energy.

Weather Station: Weather monitoring has historically been one of the central functions of Lighthouses. Sensor data is used by various agencies of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) including the National Weather Service (NWS), National Hurricane Center (NHC), and National Ocean Service (NOS). The unique location and height of Greens Ledge helps to fill a critical gap in the sensor network and sensors aid in issuing Hurricane watches and warnings, monitoring of life- and property-threatening conditions, and research into the structure of landfalling hurricanes and major storms.

Dock System: The dock utilizes the latest and most environmentally friendly dock technology.  The dock is secured in place by SEAFLEX, a mooring system that uses high strength elastic tension to keep the float stable and secure even in locations exposed to extreme weather including hurricanes, deep freeze winters, and heavy wave action.Unlike chain moorings, since the SEAFLEX mooring system is under constant tension, it does not sway and touch the seabed at all, minimizing any effect the system has on the surrounding environment.This makes SEAFLEX particularly well-suited when mooring docks in sensitive areas, such as those near coral reefs, areas of marine flora and in historic sites.