Powering the F1 night race

Reuben Lee | Sep 04, 2008

You've probably heard about the 1,500 lighting projectors illuminating the 5.067km street track for the upcoming Singapore F1 night race. And that at 3,000 lux each, the lights will be four times brighter than the ones used at sports stadiums. But what is powering these light projectors? What if there is a power failure?

According to a Singapore GP spokesperson, the 3.5 megawatt-hour light system for the race will be powered by 12 pairs of diesel generators. These will be installed in sound-proof containers and monitored via a main control room located at the pit building.

Since all the generators will be running simultaneously, should any one fail during the event, the others will increase their load to offset the difference in output. The use of power-lock connectors also means the devices can be interchanged quickly if a fault occurs in any of the cables. As a further precaution, engineers will be assigned to each generator.

From the look of things, the organizers are certainly not taking any chances when it comes to ensuring the F1 event runs smoothly. Now all we need is a weather God to keep the rainstorms at bay.

Image credit: Singapore GP

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