CITEL surge protection for LED outdoor lighting at Center Parcs in Park Allgäu

At the foot of the Alps, near Lake Constance and the famous fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein, Center Parcs opened a new holiday resort in 2018 for around 350 million euros. The 1,000 exclusive holiday homes for up to twelve people and with various features form an architectural eye-catcher. Nestled in the enchanting landscape of the Allgäu with magnificent foothills of the Alps and forests, they guarantee visitors relaxation and recreation.

For the park operator, it is important to provide a safe and unclouded holiday for his guests: The even and bright illumination of the streets and paths must provide additional safety for visitors within the complex as they make their way between the houses and the large covered centre with shops, restaurants, entertainment and a large bathing and wellness area.

The service life of LED luminaires and their electronic power supplies of more than 80,000 hours is quite attainable today. To achieve this goal, both components must be safely protected against transient overvoltages from the mains, such as can be caused by switching operations or remote lightning strikes. Therefore, Center Parcs decided, among other things, to protect the LED outdoor lighting with lightning and surge protection.

The planning was carried out by the Fassnacht Ingenieure office in Bad Wurzach and the Gutmann/ Speiser engineering office in Kempten.

The company Maucher Elektro GmbH from Eberhardzell in Upper Swabia was commissioned with the installation. The company has been in business for 14 years and operates in the catchment area between Stuttgart and Lake Constance, focusing on building power supply and street lighting.

Particular importance is attached to the continuous training of employees and the education of young electricians. Up to 20 employees have set about 1,200 light points in the park during the installation period of about one and a half years.

Innovative, practical and standard-compliant