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May 26, 2011
FreeWave Technologies: Wind Utility Owners, Operators and Field Technicians: What’s in Your Data Communication Tool Box?
FreeWave Technologies’ Bret Dianich and Dan Steele had an article placed in Utility Products Magazine this month about wind farm data communications and why wireless data radios are emerging as a top choice for applications such as wind turbine vibration monitoring.
Title: Wind Utility Owners, Operators and Field Technicians: What’s in Your Data Communication Tool Box?
Abstract: In recent years, the use of wind power generation has increased as a viable energy solution. With this increase, owners, operators and field technicians are looking for the best ways to maintain wind turbines and prevent failure. An important factor in wind power generation is the maintenance, upkeep and monitoring of the entire system because wind power application decisions are cost-oriented; failure or system damages can result in millions of dollars of unexpected expense.
Technicians and operators need to be able to troubleshoot the various mechanical, hydraulic and speed control systems; converter issues and components. There is also a need to diagnose problems within the generators and equipment as quickly as possible to prevent further issues from arising. The faster operations and maintenance (O&M) can detect problem signals the sooner that loss can be mitigated and potential disasters avoided. With these issues being a central focus of wind energy, it is easy to see why quality control analysis through the use of data collection and transmission is critical in the process of maintaining wind turbines and wind farms. There are several communication system options that enable people to make the best decisions because they are provided with dependable data transmission for condition monitoring, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), meteorological (MET) tower diagnostics and productivity reporting. (See Different Communication Technology Solutions table.)
To view the full article, please visit Utility Products’ website to review the current issue or go to: http://www.utilityproducts.com/articles/print/volume-8/issue-5/product-focus/wind-farm-construction-maintenance/wind-utility-owners-operators-and-field-technicians-whats-in-your-data-communication-tool-box.html
Media Contact:
Christin Jeffers
Catapult PR-IR
303-581-7760 ext. 19
May 23, 2011
TURNINGPOINT AND FREEWAVE TECHNOLOGIES PARTNER TO MITIGATE WIND TURBINE FAILURE THROUGH VIBRATION MONITORING SOLUTION
With wind turbines spread over long distances in remote locations, FreeWave’s radios provide an easily deployed, cost-effective and dependable solution for Turningpoint
ANAHEIM, CALIF., AWEA WINDPOWER CONFERENCE, (Booth #1209), May 23, 2011 — FreeWave Technologies, (http://www.freewave.com), manufacturer of the most reliable, high-performance spread spectrum and licensed radios for critical data transmission, today announced that it has been selected by Turningpoint (http://www.turningpointwind.com/) as its wireless data communications partner for its market-leading turbine vibration monitoring solutions. Turningpoint will use FreeWave’s FGR2-PE industrial Ethernet radios to remotely monitor vibration data from multiple accelerometers on wind turbines and report the information back to the operations and maintenance (O&M) center for wind farm owners and operators around the world.
“If a turbine is experiencing a high amount of turbulence and vibration, this can be a precursor to turbine failure that can result in millions of dollars worth of damage and unavailability affecting a power purchase agreement (PPA) or other commercial contracts,” explained Stephen Donovan, business development director of Turningpoint. “Our solution is able to provide early detection of impending issues and identify where remedial action can be implemented under a scheduled maintenance program. Identifying issues early reduces the risk of faults escalating and deteriorating into potential catastrophic failures. It’s a great way to look at the general health of the turbine because it gives O&M technicians and operators the ability to predict and mitigate problems before they occur.”
Originally, Turningpoint couldn’t utilize the existing fiber optic network at one particular wind farm and didn’t want to use costly satellite communications and questioned the reliability of cellular network communications. So, Turningpoint reached out to numerous communications technology companies, including FreeWave, to help devise a way to get the vibration sensing data from the wind turbine back to the O&M office.
“It is so important that operators look for a company that provides network design services and trial equipment to ensure the products will work before they purchase them, because there can be Line of Sight (LOS) and signal quality issues,” said Ashish Sharma, chief marketing officer of FreeWave Technologies. After Turningpoint did its network design and compared multiple radios from several companies, it was able to determine which ones performed well despite the obstruction of the wind turbines themselves. For example, it found that one of the radios in the comparison would lose data each time a blade passed through the arc link.
“FreeWave went above and beyond helping set up our new wireless communication network,” explained Donovan of Turningpoint. “Not only does the company continue to provide us with top-notch service and support, it also arranged for us to use its unrivaled diagnostics program called ToolSuite. With ToolSuite, the level of understanding of our radio frequency network has given us more visibility into the network.”
“We are proud to partner with Turningpoint for these advanced wind energy deployments. The networks will bring significant operational efficiencies to Turningpoint’s CBMS solution and help eliminate wind turbine failures for its customers,” said Ashish Sharma, chief marketing officer of FreeWave. “Our radio solutions and diagnostics software are very suitable for wind energy applications with capabilities that can help reduce operating costs and improve customers’ total cost of ownership. Our proven and feature-rich FGR2-PE solution enables reliable connectivity and helps deliver advanced data services for a variety of mission critical applications.”
FreeWave now has many installations for Turningpoint in U.S. and Europe. Each turbine using FreeWave’s radios is reporting its vibration data two to three times a day and has been successfully and consistently doing so for over a year.
“Our new wireless communication capabilities will allow us to enhance our CBMS health management solutions for our customers,” said Donovan of Turningpoint. “With the success of the first several installations, FreeWave’s solutions will continue to play an important role in the growing demand for dependable data communications in the wind energy sector.”
About FreeWave Technologies
Founded in 1993, FreeWave Technologies manufactures the most reliable, high performance, lowest power consumption, spread spectrum and licensed radios for mission-critical data transmission. Through engineering excellence and a relentless commitment to best-in-class manufacturing, FreeWave customers enjoy superior network up-time, range and the lowest cost of ownership in its class. Based in Boulder, Colorado, FreeWave designs and manufactures radios that are the leading choice for oil and gas, utility, military and numerous other industrial applications. Organizations that count on radio data communications for operational trust FreeWave for custom network design, system engineering and customer support that is unparalleled in the market. For additional information, contact FreeWave directly at 866.399.4930 or at newsinfo@freewave.com. Visit the company’s website at www.freewave.com.
About Turningpoint
When it comes to wind turbines, failure can be catastrophic. Turningpoint understands the consequences and that is why it developed Turningpoint. Its revolutionary new hardware and software will keep customers’ business turning. Turningpoint technology warns of decreases in turbine machinery’s efficiency and reliability. This eliminates non-specific breakdowns, preventing untimely crane call-outs and lost generation at peak times.
The company’s hardware is simple to install, easy to monitor and it predicts parts failures with an accuracy built upon proven and exact vibration-analysis science. Importantly, it features flexible hardware connectivity to both wired Ethernet and wireless Ethernet environments.
In many parts of the world, condition monitoring and the wind industry are synonymous with one another. Vibration monitoring technology is regarded as so critical it is mandated by stringent insurance standards. This mandate recognizes that online surveillance is the most effective condition monitoring method available for wind turbines, dramatically minimizing production losses and the overall cost of maintenance.
In order to provide wind owners and operators with the best possible understanding of their turbine’s operating condition, Turningpoint devices are designed to measure and record a wide range of parameters. This flexibility provides the ability to trend and trigger alarms so that operators can assess not only vibration related faults, but also wind turbine’s performance.
Turningpoint is flexible, reliable and expandable in the field, boosting its customers’ investments performance and their peace of mind.
Media Contact for FreeWave Technologies:
Christin Jeffers
Catapult PR-IR
303-581-7760 ext. 19
FREEWAVE TO SHOWCASE ITS LATEST WIRELESS DATA RADIO OFFERINGS FOR WIND ENERGY AT AWEA 2011
Company also announces partnership with Turningpoint Wind for wind turbine condition monitoring solution
ANAHEIM, CALIF., AWEA WINDPOWER CONFERENCE, (Booth #1209), May 23, 2011 -FreeWave Technologies, (http://www.freewave.com), manufacturer of the most reliable, high-performance spread spectrum and licensed radios for critical data transmission, today announced it will demonstrate its latest wireless data radios and service offerings for the wind energy industry at AWEA 2011. The company also will be highlighting how it has partnered with industry leader, Turningpoint Wind, to offer a complete wind condition monitoring solution for wind farm operators across the globe (see today’s news release entitled, “Turningpoint and FreeWave Technologies Partner to Mitigate Wind Turbine Failure Through Vibration Monitoring Solution”).
FreeWave will be showcasing its line of FGR2-PE wireless data radios, a communications solution for a number of wind applications, such as orientation and positioning, tracking controls, status updates, telemetry, SCADA, temperature and pressure monitoring and performance reporting. The company’s FGR2-PE offers industrial serial and Ethernet wireless connectivity using license-free spread spectrum for data communication over long distances.
Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) radios, like FreeWave’s FGR2-PE, typically are much less expensive to install than cable or fiber and do not have the recurring fees of satellite and cell phone technologies. In addition, if an operator can stop a turbine from a potential disaster by detecting problems before they occur, they can achieve immeasurable savings in machine repairs or replacements, not to mention lost production time or even fines. With FreeWave’s FGR2-PE radios, the investment in an RF network isn’t only useful for vibration monitoring, however. The devices can be deployed on meteorological systems for remote monitoring of wind speed and direction as measured by an anemometer, or the RPM of the actual engine itself within the turbine. With these radios, they can be expanded upon without having to add more devices.
“FreeWave’s wireless data radio technology is a great cost-effective and scalable option for operators to tap when it comes to ensuring a trouble-free wind turbine,” explained Ashish Sharma, chief marketing officer at FreeWave. “The FGR2-PE’s ability to communicate over long distances reliably and in environments with a lot of RF noise is the reason why companies, like Turningpoint, have selected it to ensure smooth, uninterrupted communications for its customers.”
The FGR2-PE is compatible with other FreeWave FGRplus family radios and offers users a second, switched Ethernet port as well as two serial ports to meet the demands of customers’ wireless automation requirements. The future-proof combination of two serial ports and two switched Ethernet ports offers customers the ability to transition from serial to Ethernet data communication without having to replace their wireless communication hardware down the road, or operate both serial and Ethernet communication independently and simultaneously on one radio platform. This cost-effective flexibility of the FGR2-PE product also reduces the need for additional hardware.
For more information about FreeWave’s FGR2-PE line of radios, please visit the company’s website at (www.freewave.com).
About FreeWave Technologies
Founded in 1993, FreeWave Technologies manufactures the most reliable, high performance, lowest power consumption, spread spectrum and licensed radios for mission-critical data transmission. Through engineering excellence and a relentless commitment to best-in-class manufacturing, FreeWave customers enjoy superior network up-time, range and the lowest cost of ownership in its class. Based in Boulder, Colorado, FreeWave designs and manufactures radios that are the leading choice for oil and gas, utility, military and numerous other industrial applications. Organizations that count on radio data communications for operational trust FreeWave for custom network design, system engineering and customer support that is unparalleled in the market. For additional information, contact FreeWave directly at 866.399.4930 or at newsinfo@freewave.com. Visit the company’s website at (www.freewave.com).
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Media Contact:
Christin Jeffers
Catapult PR-IR
303-581-7760 ext. 19
February 2, 2011
Optimizing Communication Networks in Renewable Energy Markets with Wireless Technologies
Optimizing Communication Networks in Renewable Energy Markets with Wireless Technologies
Each of the applications that can be performed using data radios in solar and wind power generation plants are conducted today in many thousands of other market applications. These radios are relied upon in mission critical monitoring, controlling and data acquisition situations in the harshest weather and RF conditions.
By Colin Lippincott, Colin Lippincott, General Manager, Energy Markets – FreeWave Technologies
To view published article on Alt Energy’s EMagazine, please click here: http://www.altenergymag.com/emagazine.php?art_id=1670
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Introduction
As alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar, become an increasingly compelling solution for power generation, utilities operators are looking for new ways to maximize their investment in communication networks while ensuring reliable, secure data transmission across them. There are a variety of communication options, including data radios, fiber-optic cable, cell phones, and satellite modems.
The same wireless technologies used in many utility applications, such as distribution automation, are available to renewable energy plants. With wind turbines and solar power generation, systems can often benefit from the cost savings of wireless versus fiber optic cable. While fiber is both an expensive and time-consuming process to install, wireless technologies are easily deployed, dependable solutions. Wireless technologies can support all types of solar power generation models, from the solar troughs, dishes, tracking photovoltaic and heliostats, delivering information directly to the user’s desktop.
Data radios provide proven, reliable data transmission and advantages where:
The system owner wants to control the communications
Cell phone coverage is inconsistent or non-existent
Communication security is a priority
Budgets require efficient communications investment.
In other words, data radios offer wind and solar power generation facility developers and operators a viable solution for meeting their communication network’s requirements while also cutting costs. As the industry continues its fast-paced growth, the need to identify ways to lower infrastructure costs, improve time-to-market and increase performance with reliable, easily installed networks is no longer a wish, but, a requirement.
Reliable and Effective Communication as a Key Success Component for Renewable Energy Power Operators
As the renewable energy market continues to make strides in the power industry, operations and maintenance (O&M) providers are looking for economical ways to manage their systems. To do this most efficiently, some sort of communication system is required. Today, solar and wind power generation plants have economical systems that ensure reliable, secure data transmission from remote locations. The wireless networks need to be easily maintained, with the ability to handle the amount of data transmission required. Many O&M providers in the solar and wind industries are beginning to discover that there are several other options.
Wired versus Wireless Solutions
The class of wireless radios that are industrially hardened and proven to be reliable in the harshest environments are commonly deployed daily in mission critical industrial applications and life-or-death applications in the military. These radios may offer the most effective, economical solution, when compared to other options. For example, when compared with fiber, wireless systems are relatively easy to install. In the event that a buried cable is damaged to the extent that it requires repair or replacement, the costs can be vey high. Wireless systems are relatively maintenance-free and, if maintenance does become necessary, they are easily maintained. Once installed, top class wireless systems rarely need any type of service. If, for some reason, maintenance is required, the best systems provide information regarding a pending maintenance concern and the location or type of maintenance required can easily be detected remotely. So, operators only send someone out for service if/when they need it, thereby saving time and money. If engineered and installed correctly, wireless systems will last maintenance-free for years. At least one of the top class wireless manufacturers provides backwards compatible solutions throughout its family of products. That, too, saves on maintenance concerns as well as stocking and replacement costs.
Finally, wired options are priced by the foot. With wireless data radios, the pricing covers ranges expressed in terms of miles. For instance, a pair of top class serial radios will likely communicate reliably across 60-mile links with line-of-sight designs.
Communication Systems and Options – Pros and Cons
Today, solar or wind utilities operators have a number of different options they can employ for their communications needs. The major ones include:
Wireless Data Radios – The top industrially hardened class of proprietary protocol wireless radios systems are quite easy to install, require minimal labor, don’t require any trenching or expensive equipment. In addition, users can obtain real-time data fast. Users can be operational quickly and don’t have to wait until some sort of network typology is complete. Once a remote radio and a master radio are installed, users can monitor these points right away. Although these radios are reliable, they often are more expensive than standards-based radios because these radios provide the range, throughput options and reliability found only in this class of offering.
ZigBee – A somewhat inexpensive, standards-based wireless solution. Zigbee offers a self-healing mesh network. However, these products also have a direct sequence protocol that is susceptible to interference, especially when compared with proprietary protocol systems. The range is extremely short in comparison to others and as the users add repeaters to lengthen the range, the throughput degrades quickly – and the “perceived” low cost goes up. At 230 Kbps, the throughput without repeaters is acceptable in many applications. However, to achieve the self-healing networks, repeaters are required and as stated above, as repeaters are added, throughput decreases.
Wired – Copper, fiber and an Ethernet cable are some of the options available as wired solutions. Each of these types of cable will have limitations as to how far the signal can be sent before you encounter line loss. And, wired solutions typically require more money and more time to install. What are the advantages to wired solutions? If implemented correctly, wired solutions provide secure, reliable data communications. The main issues operators will face with wire are the cost of materials and installation. Time to install is also an issue especially when compared with data radios.
Cell Phone/Satellite – Cell phone and satellite technologies have many similar attributes. They both are public systems and, therefore, not controlled by the plant owner. Carrier-based systems, such as these, include monthly fees, that add to the overall cost of ownership, making it even more costly over time. Notoriously, cell phone-based systems do not have a history for being backwards compatible. Replacing old technology with new technology can be very costly. What are the advantages? Sometimes these systems can reach extreme or remote locations where it is not feasible to lay fiber or even deploy a full wireless communication network. This is especially true in the case of satellite systems.
Hybrid Communications as Yet Another Option
None of the systems described above solve all problems in all situations. Hybrid networks – a blend of different technologies – are often important to consider especially in the wind power generation markets. Wind installations can be very remote. In such situations, there are benefits to implementing a system that uses data radios from location to location with a satellite modem at a site data concentrator. Hybrid networks also might include a mix of fiber, data radios, satellite or cell phone-based technologies. A hybrid system can be a more cost-effective and effective solution for remote networks through lower hardware unit costs, fewer points requiring monthly fee-based satellite or cell connection modems, and lower power-consuming technologies.
A specific example might be a wind farm located in an isolated region with 10 turbines. Land line access does not exist, cell coverage is not present though satellite coverage is present. A viable, hybrid solution would include data radios on each turbine communicating to one “master station” turbine. With those radios, there can be reliable communications with no monthly fees and backwards compatibility. At the master station, a master radio is wired to a satellite modem that uplinks data to and from the wind farm. This system eliminates the monthly fees for nine of the 10 towers.
Proven Benefits of Using Industrially Hardened Wireless Radios
Top class data radio communication systems – composed of industrially hardened radios – offer several advantages that some of the other options do not. This class of radio has been proven in communication-intensive industries, such as military, oil and gas, and electric power. The leading companies offering data radios stand by their products with training, tech support, warranties and experience. These attributes arm O&M providers with the confidence required for managing their communication system. Proprietary data radios are offered at a variety of speeds, interface protocols and security. They are offered with varieties of form factors available to match the needs of the user.
Range or link distance is another advantage in the top class of radios. Some types have proven to communicate over 60 miles line-of-sight. Others, such as standards-based radios, offer a range that is more accurately characterized in hundreds of feet. The top class technologies are used successfully in extremely harsh conditions with high vibration, such as robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles in the military, and farm vehicles, proving in the field that they can effectively communicate in all types of environments, including the challenges presented by wind turbines. Data radios even have proven effective and reliable in high-speed racing environments – such as Formula One car and motorcycle races.
Sample Renewable Market Applications for Wireless Communications
Wireless radios can be used for a variety of options in the renewable energy markets, including:
Orientation and Positioning Operations & Maintenance
Tracking Controls Condition Monitoring
Status Updates Met Tower Communications
Telemetry Emergency Messaging (especially weather changes)
SCADA Alarms from the remote points
Temperature Monitoring E-Stop
Pressure Monitoring Perimeter security
Performance reporting And, more….
Conclusion
Each of the applications that can be performed using data radios in solar and wind power generation plants are conducted today in many thousands of other market applications. These radios are relied upon in mission critical monitoring, controlling and data acquisition situations in the harshest weather and RF conditions. Radios are used on natural gas wells in every climate imaginable. They are used reliably in baking high heat and in the freezing cold in Antarctica, for example. The top class of radios is used in urban situations, plant situations and rural situations. Again, the top class of radios is known to perform with comparable reliability to the wired alternatives and, all at a fraction of the cost.
The advances of wireless technology in the renewable energy power markets on both an industrial and commercial scale are anticipated to increase. The costs, reliability, reporting and more are driving operators to consider alternatives to wired solutions. The experience mentioned above of operators in many, many industries around the world are evidence that data radios are a very viable alternative. Wireless data radio technologies provide a long-range, reliable and affordable solution to providers. A wireless system can potentially save a company millions of dollars of installation fees and the technologies have been proven in the field over and over again in many different industries. Not all radios are created equal. Top class radios have proven, industrially hardened equipment and the flexibility to perform in almost any situation. Any manufacturer who has a solid product offering is likely willing to provide operators with test equipment to prove the technology before they buy it. It is easy to use, quick to install, reliable and low risk. When ROI is a key in determining the best communications solution, the benefits of top class data radios should be part of every decision process.
Colin Lippincott has been with FreeWave Technologies, Inc. (www.freewave.com) for seven years. In his current position, general manager of energy markets, he works primarily with solar, wind and smart grid technologies to advance remote automation, condition monitoring, positioning and SCADA success with affordable wireless systems and unmatched reliability. Prior to FreeWave, he served in various management and operations roles with several companies since graduating from the University of Colorado with a Master’s in Business Administration.
April 30, 2010
FREEWAVE TECHNOLOGIES ADDS GLENN BOOTH AS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY MARKETS
Newest addition to FreeWave’s growing team selected to help drive business development in solar, wind markets
BOULDER, Colo., April 30, 2010- FreeWave Technologies, (http://www.freewave.com), manufacturer of the most reliable, high-performance spread spectrum and licensed radios for critical data transmission, today announced it has hired Glenn Booth as a business development executive for renewable energy markets.
At FreeWave, Booth will be responsible for business development of FreeWave’s wireless communications solutions to solar and wind energy customers, including utility-scale Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV), Wind Turbine and Wind Farms. Booth will help expand FreeWave’s renewable energy business by working with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), integrators, resellers and strategic partners.
“The renewable energy industry is fairly new to FreeWave and I feel my experience will help drive the company’s growth and ongoing success in both the wind and solar markets,” Booth said. “I’m excited to join a company that is known industry-wide for providing wireless data radios of superior reliability and accuracy.”
Prior to FreeWave, Booth was the VP of marketing and business development at Cool Energy, a solar energy startup company. Booth also has years of experience in wireless technology sales. He was VP of marketing for Rajant and Director of Marketing for Vivato. He began his career as a design engineer for Boeing, where he designed and delivered communications software and hardware for aerospace and military avionics applications. Booth holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado.
“Glenn is a great fit for the renewable energy team,” said Colin Lippincott, general manager of renewable energy markets at FreeWave. “The combination of his extensive industry experience, as well as engineering background, made him a top candidate for the job.”
About FreeWave Technologies
Founded in 1993, FreeWave Technologies manufactures the most reliable, high performing, lowest power consumption, spread spectrum and licensed radios for mission-critical data transmission. Through engineering excellence and a relentless commitment to best-in-class manufacturing, FreeWave customers enjoy superior radio up-time, range and the lowest cost of ownership available. Based in Boulder, Colorado, FreeWave designs and manufactures radios that are the leading choice for oil and gas, utility, military and numerous other industrial applications. Organizations that count on radio data communications for operational success – where failure and down-time are not an option – trust FreeWave for custom network design, system engineering and customer support that is unparalleled in the market. For additional information, contact FreeWave directly at 866.399.4930 or at newsinfo@freewave.com. Visit the company’s web site at www.freewave.com.
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Press Contact:
Christin Jeffers
Catapult PR-IR
303.581.7760, ext. 14
cjeffers@catapultpr-ir.com
