• Greencoat UK Wind chooses EMR to upgrade telecoms infrastructure at 17 windfarms across the UK and Ireland

    EMR works with sustainable energy providers such as Greencoat

The Requirement

As an active, long-term investor, Greencoat UK Wind has an ambitious acquisition strategy and continues to acquire windfarms across the British Isles. The company has a growing portfolio of assets with windfarms of differing sizes varying from six megawatts of output from the smallest to hundreds of megawatts from the largest.  The company prides itself on being very knowledgeable about the market.

Greencoat uses a defined framework for new acquisitions and this involves getting a specialist service provider to perform a telecoms audit.  The purpose is to ensure that  Greencoat and its customers such as Northern Ireland Electricity and SONI have full visibility over its windfarm assets in the field.

This discovery exercise typically involves assessing the current telecoms infrastructure and upgrading or reconfiguring it to ensure high speed, robust connectivity.  Greencoat also looks to layer a montoring and alerting service on top so that downtime can be immediately identified and remedial action taken to bring assets back online.

“We’re an investment house, not an IT company and so we have to rely on a network of trusted partners who are our eyes and ears on IT issues.”

Javier Serrano,  Asset Manager, Greencoat UK Wind

The Solution

A separate discovery exercise is performed by EMR at each windfarm, which yields a detailed report on how the telecoms infrastructure needs to be upgraded and/or configured to ensure reliable, robust communications.

Specialist EMR engineers deploy the required hardware and configure best-in-class firewalls to secure network traffic and enable remote access.

Where required, the EMR team provide a full managed service ensuring that the SCADA system of electricity transmission operators such as SONI can see Greencoat’s windfarms on the grid. Telecoms outages are immediately identified by the EMR helpdesk and flagged to the relevant operators.  Maximum uptime lies at the core of the service.

“We’re a one-stop shop. At Screggagh, Co Tyrone for example, we replaced the entire telecoms infrastructure including microwave links, firewall technology which provides protection and monitoring capability, WAN routers and SIP telephony.  We’re also providing fully managed IP addressing schemes.”

Alan Feenan, Sales Director, Communications with EMR

Solution at a Glance

  • In-depth telecoms audits

    Performed at each of the 17 windfarms with detailed communications recommendations

  • Deployment of communications solutions

    Typically including high speed WAN links (microwave), satellite connectivity, 3G/4G utility grade modems, ISDN to IP solutions, UPS back up power, firewall technology, switches/routers, SIP telephony and fully managed IP addressing schemes

  • Managed Service and Support

    All equipment is fully supported and remotely manged by the EMR network monitoring service

  • Partner Liaison

    Liaison with Greencoat’s customers to ensure presence on the transmission grid.

Benefits at a Glance

  • Always-on windfarm connectivity

    Robust and reliable telecoms connectivity from Greencoat’s windfarms to the grid

  • Maximum grid uptime

    Thanks to the EMR monitoring, alerting and escalation service

  • Partner reliability with experience and expertise

    Confidence in a trusted technology partner to do the job right, first time

  • Low, ongoing administration overheads

    EMR works independently and draws on its experience and in depth knowledge of the renewables sector

The Benefits

Greencoat UK Wind is an asset management company with no IT or telecoms expertise.  Its operating success is built on establishing a network of trusted technology partners that it works with to render its assets market-ready.

In choosing such partners, Mr Serrano expects them to work independently of him by drawing on their industry knowledge and liasing with Greencoat’s other service providers where required.

Completing projects on time and on budget is a given.  And that’s exactly what the EMR team deliver, time and time again.

“Our success is based on EMR’s ability to understand our needs and the agility to execute on those needs.”

Javier Serrano,  Asset Manager, Greencoat UK Wind

Why EMR?

“I have confidence in EMR as a trusted partner. Our experience of working with them has been very good and the team is very agile.”

Javier Serrano,  Asset Manager, Greencoat UK Wind

About Greencoat UK Wind

Greencoat UK Wind invests in operating UK wind farms to provide shareholders with a sustainable and transparent income stream.  The company is invested solely in operating onshore and offshore UK wind farms which are currently producing income.

Greencoat UK Wind was the first renewable infrastructure fund to list on the LSE main market and is the only infrastructure fund or renewable infrastructure fund domiciled in the UK. The Company is a constituent of the FTSE-250 index. Greencoat UK Wind is incorporated in England and Wales, and is a UK Investment Trust.

The Company is managed by an experienced team of senior executives from Greencoat Capital LLP, a leading European renewable investment manager, and overseen by a strong and experienced independent board of directors, all of whom are based in the UK.

Greencoat UK Wind has a broad investor base that includes numerous blue-chip institutional investors.

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