Lighthouse
Modern lighthouses

The introduction of electrification and automatic lamp changers began to make lighthouse keepers obsolete. For many years, lighthouses still had keepers, partly because lighthouse keepers could serve as a rescue service, if necessary. Improvements in maritime navigation and safety, such Global Positioning System (GPS), led to the phasing out of non-automated lighthouses across the world. In Canada, this trend has been stopped and there are still 50 staffed light stations, with 27 on the west coast alone.

The remaining modern lighthouses are usually illuminated by a single stationary flashing light powered by solar-charged batteries and mounted on a steel skeleton tower. Where the power requirement is too great for solar power alone, cycle charging of the battery by a Diesel generator is provided. The generator only comes into use when the battery needs charging, saving fuel and increasing periods between maintenance.
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