XN000022-1978-07-16 — Page 4

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SUNDAY, JULY 16, 1978

FIRST SOLAR POWERED NAVIGATIONAL LIGHT BEACON

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THE MARINE DEPARTMENT HAS STARTED A PILOT SCHEME USING SOLAR ENERGY TO OPERATE NAVIGATIONAL LIGHT BEACONS WHICH HAS BEEN PROVED TO BE RELIABLE AND ECONOMICAL IN EXPERIMENTS CONDUCTED BY MARITIME AUTHORITIES IN THE UNITED STATES, BRITAIN AND JAPAN.

THE FIRST LIGHT BEACON IN HONG KONG TO USE SOLAR POWER FOR ITS ELECTRICITY CAME INTO OPERATION IN MAY AND IS LOCATED AT KI YAN SIAK, WEST OF HIGH ISLAND ON SAI KUNG PENINSULA.

MR. JIMMY DEAKIN, SUPERINTENDENT OF LIGHTS OF THE MARINE DEPARTMENT SAID THIS SOLAR ENERGY UNIT COSTS $6,000 AND IT WILL PAY OFF WITHIN TWO YEARS BY REDUCING EXPENSES ON MAINTENANCE, PARTICULARLY ON BATTERIES.+

EXPLAINING THE ADVANTAGES OF THIS UNIT OVER THE CONVENTIONAL LIGHT BEACON OPERATED BY BATTERIES, MR. DEAKIN SAID: IT IS MORE ECONOMICAL TO OPERATE AND NO FUEL IS REQUIRED.

+THE ONLY RUNNING COST INVOLVED IS IN MAKING PERIODIC CHECKS ON THE UNIT WHICH WE INTEND TO DO ONCE EVERY SIX MONTHS AT THE BEGINNING AND GRADUALLY REDUCE IT TO ONCE A YEAR.

+ON THE OTHER HAND BATTERIES OF CONVENTIONAL LIGHT BEACONS HAVE TO BE CHECKED EVERY MONTH, HE ADDED.

THE SOLAR ENERGY BEACON AT KI YAN SIAK IS OF AN INTENSITY SUCH THAT ITS LIGHT CAN BE SEEN FIVE MILES AWAY. IT CONTAINS MODULI OF PHOTO-VOLTAIC-CELLS AND POWER STORAGE PACKS.

+EACH OF THE MODULI,+ EXPLAINED MR. DEAKIN, +CONSISTS OF 16 PHOTO-VOLTA IC-CELLS CONNECTED IN SERIES. THE FUNCTION OF THESE PHOTO-VOLTAIC-CELLS IS TO CONVERT SUN RAYS INTO ELECTRICITY WHICH IS STORED IN THE POWER STORAGE PACKS.

+THE MODULI ARE BUILT INSIDE PROTECTIVE GLASS WHICH CAN ELIMINATE ULTRA VIOLET AND INFRA RED RAYS THAT WOULD DAMAGE THE PHOTO-VOLTAIC-CELLS. THE PROTECTIVE GLASS ALSO ENABLES THE UNIT TO WITHSTAND ROUGH WEATHER.+

HE ALSO POINTED OUT THAT THE POWER SUPPLY TO THE LIGHT BEACON WILL NOT BE AFFECTED BY WET WEATHER.

+ANOTHER SPECIAL FEATURE THAT ENABLES MINIMUM MAINTENANCE ON THE UNIT IS THAT THE LIGHT BULB CAN BE AUTOMATICALLY REPLACED BY SPARE BULBS IN THE UNIT IN CASE OF FAILURE, MR. DEAKIN SAID.

THE SOLAR ENERGY LIGHT BEACON AT KI YAN SIAK IS PART OF THE MORE THAN $1 MILLION PROJECT OF THE MARINE DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE A SAFER, FASTER AND EASIER PASSAGEWAY FOR FISHING BOATS AND PLEASURE CRAFT IN SAI KUNG AREA.

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