This is the second Lessons Learnt Report for Diffuse Energy’s Resilient Wind Energy for Telecommunications Sites Project. This report discusses the lessons learnt, projected outcomes and challenges faced during the period March to June 2021.
Report extract
The main focus of the 3rd Milestone for the ARENA project is the installation of Diffuse Energy’s wind energy systems across 10 customer telecommunication sites, split across 2 customers: Vertel, who has 2 existing sites in New South Wales; and Positive Off Grid Solutions, who has 8 sites in Western Australia. The wind energy system includes the Hyland 920 wind turbine, the Hyland maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller and a Lufft WS700-UMB Smart Weather Sensor.
Additionally, the 3rd Milestone requires the completion of a remote monitoring system that allows the performance of the wind turbine to be measured and sent back from the site to a cloud-based database where it can be monitored in real time, in conjunction with the site weather data.
During the reporting period, wind energy systems were installed on the 2 Vertel sites. The site installations went well, with the systems on both sites being completed without incident. A connectivity issue with the remote monitoring system became apparent following the installation, stemming from an unshielded join in cabling which resulted in a lockup of the data monitoring system, preventing the data being sent to our database and making the system unresponsive. A software fix was applied which resolved the issue for 1 site, but the other site locked-up and is no longer responsive.
A site visit is required to assess and remedy the issue, which is intended to be undertaken in June.