Southampton Airport has installed a green alternative to conventional runway lighting.

The environmentally friendly solar-powered lights, nicknamed ‘Wig Wags’ due to their distinctive flashing patterns, are used at intersections between the runway and taxiways to safely guide aircrafts and vehicles.

The batteries - charged via solar panels - convert the energy into electricity, ensuring the lights operate 24/7. The units, supplied by Surrey-based Systems Interface, are able to store enough energy to operate lighting for up to 120 days without any solar charging.

Steve Thurston, Southampton Airport’s senior development manager, said: “As the lights are 100% solar powered, we’ve been able to minimise the environmental footprint and maintenance costs by using a renewable energy light source. We’ve also been able to install them in the more remote areas of the airport, where there is no access to power supplies. This has saved the airport over £170,000 of installation costs to lay electrics to these areas.”

The innovative lights were successfully trialled at Southampton Airport during last winter, and as a result the airport has purchased and fully installed five units at a cost of over £25,000, to replace the previous conventional lighting systems. Other users of the lights include the US Air Force and Army in Afghanistan as well as Toronto International Airport in Canada.