Casquets Lighthouse Goes Energy Efficient with Sabik VLB-92 LED Beacon

As part of a two-year modernization program, Trinity House in London, UK, replaced the aging halogen lighting system at the historic Casquets Lighthouse with a high-efficiency VLB-92 LED beacon. The upgrade significantly reduced energy consumption and maintenance demands, supporting a long-term shift to sustainable operations.

Background and challenge

Casquets Lighthouse is situated on a rocky outcrop 13 kilometers northwest of Alderney in the English Channel—a location notorious for maritime incidents throughout history. Originally built in the 18th century, the site includes three towers that remain operational today.

The North West Tower, standing 23 meters high with a focal plane 37 meters above Mean Sea Level, was previously equipped with tungsten-halogen lamps. These conventional lights, installed in 1990, were energy-intensive, unreliable, and required frequent maintenance. The lighthouse emitted five flashes every 30 seconds, with 3.7-second intervals between flashes.

Trinity House launched a modernization effort aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing operational costs by transitioning to renewable energy systems and more reliable lighting technology.

Solution – Modern LED Upgrade with the Sabik VLB-92

Sabik’s verified partner Hydrosphere, the UK’s leading supplier of marine aids to navigation, led the lighting upgrade at Casquets. As part of the efficiency strategy, the nominal range of the lighthouse was reduced from 24 nautical miles to 18 nautical miles, making the Sabik VLB-92 Omni-Mega long-range LED beacon an ideal replacement.

The VLB-92 offers high optical performance, extremely low failure rates, and reduced power consumption—perfectly aligning with the project’s sustainability and reliability goals.

Outcome – Energy Efficiency and Reduced Maintenance

The implementation of the VLB-92 LED beacon has improved operational efficiency at the Casquets Lighthouse. The significantly lower power consumption and exceptional reliability of the beacon have helped reduce planned maintenance visits and overall lifecycle costs.

This successful upgrade supports Trinity House’s broader mission of adopting energy-efficient, low-maintenance solutions for the UK’s vital navigational infrastructure.