The future for migrating birds is bright, the future is green
Oslo, Norway, 10 February 2025: Offshore platforms, such as oil and gas rigs, wind turbines, and their substations, offer a tempting respite for migratory birds attracted by their lights. But landing on these structures can be a death sentence for tired birds that use up precious energy needed for their onward journey.
Glamox, a world leader in lighting, is now offering new bird-friendly lights. They use an innovative green LED light that provides sufficient illumination to keep offshore workers and mariners safe while being less attractive to migratory birds. The marine-certified lights will help to preserve darker skies, better safeguard migratory birds, and reduce the cost of cleaning and maintaining offshore structures and vessels. See an infographic here.
Bright lights attract birds, especially in foggy misty conditions. Younger birds, on their first migration, are most at risk. The longer they stay on an offshore platform, the more mess they create and the more they burn through their energy reserves, lessening their chances of survival.
“It is well known that birds react differently to light at different wavelengths. Blue-green light reduces the impact on the magnetic orientation of migratory birds while red light can disrupt their internal compass,” said Oskar Mile, the lighting designer who is leading the bird-friendly lighting project at Glamox.
“The green colour of the light is significantly less attractive to migrating birds. Another important factor is whether the lights can be controlled, such as switched off or dimmed down when people are absent or programmed to dim during weeks when endangered bird species are known to migrate.
“Nevertheless, the overriding factor is ensuring that people working offshore have the light they need to do their job and are safe and secure. If you can help people and wildlife at the same time, then it’s a win-win,” added Mile.
Glamox has developed bird-friendly versions of its best-selling MIR G2 linear LED luminaires that cope with harsh conditions on offshore platforms, wind turbines, and vessels. LED Kits are also available, which allow customers to keep the housing of their existing MIR luminaires and upgrade them to be bird friendly. A bird-friendly version of its MAX G2 explosion-proof luminaire is suitable for applications in industry, on ships, and on oil and gas platforms in areas where an explosive atmosphere can occasionally occur during normal operations. A bird-friendly RLX B floodlight is available as well. Finally, the company provides light management systems and advisory services on how to mount and orient lights and use shielding to avoid light spillage.
The shorter wavelength green light is created by applying an opalic diffuser inside the luminaire which also helps to reduce light spillage or by green LEDs in the case of the floodlight.
Glamox also offers Dark Sky-approved marine-certified luminaires and LED Kits that are specifically designed to minimise glare and light spillage so as to help preserve dark nighttime skies.
For more information, please contact:
Neil Pattie, Glamox Corporate Communications, Tel: +44 7784 086530, Email: neil.pattie@glamox.com
Silje Grip Glamox Marketing, Phone: +47 712 46339, E-mail: Silje.Kristin.Grip@glamox.com
About Glamox AS
Glamox AS is a leading lighting company that provides quality energy-efficient lighting for professional buildings in Europe and the world’s marine, offshore, and wind markets. Our mission is to provide sustainable lighting solutions that improve the performance and well-being of people. We are committed to achieving net-zero operations by 2030.
Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, Glamox AS is privately owned by Triton and Fondsavanse and is a subsidiary of GLX Holding AS. Glamox AS employs around 2,100 professionals with sales and production in Europe, Asia, and North America. In 2023, its annual revenues were NOK 4,266 million. It owns a range of quality lighting brands, including Glamox, Aqua Signal, ES-SYSTEM, Küttel, LINKSrechts, LiteIP, Luminell, Luxo, Luxonic, MARL, Norselight, and Wasco. For more information, please see www.glamox.com
