Melbourne-headquartered M2M Connectivity has partnered with Blair Fox to upgrade the WA-based renewable energy company's wind turbines to operate over 4G and 5G.
The M2M-designed IoT solution has enabled legacy SCADA communication systems built-into older turbines to operate over 4G and 5G. The solution features Sierra Wireless FX30 modems and specialist M2M SIMs at each site.
Blair Fox had relied on a Circuit Switched Data over GSM solution to communicate and monitor its turbines. This technology would have become obsolete following the imminent shutdown of the 3G network.
Blair Fox director Tim Rosser said the IoT technology provider was hired to design a way to remotely monitor, reset, recalibrate and maintain Blair Fox's 40 wind turbines.
“Faced with the shutdown of 3G and an aging communications infrastructure, we needed a solution to power remote operations, now and into the future," Rosser said.
“We had previously relied on manual monitoring and maintenance, but as a small company, this was not sustainable or viable given the remote and rugged locations of our turbines.
“M2M Connectivity designed and deployed a custom solution within weeks and what we now have is the peace of mind we need to run our turbines and deliver energy to our customers for years to come.”
The wind energy company supplies electricity at three sites, including one in Lancelin. It manages technical support, including device monitoring and maintenance, through a central operations centre in Perth.
M2M Connectivity ANZ senior director Kat Dempsey said, “Blair Fox has implemented a system which is future proof and can be easily migrated as cellular networks evolve.
"We look forward to continuing our partnership and ensuring their communications infrastructure supports their growth and the evolving needs of their customers.”
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