SOFTWARE- WIND FARMS:A SOFTWARE company started by four former Motorola executives has developed an operations management solution to help wind farm operators cut their operating and reporting costs and maximise their income.

Partnering with telecoms services giant Nokia Siemens Networks, Cork-based Servusnet found that operators, whether they have built and developed a wind farm, or whether they manage a portfolio of wind farms for other companies, often struggle to make sense of how a wind farm or turbine is performing using existing software.

Although some operators have invested in custom software or have tailored other solutions, it often takes an experienced engineer to make sense of their data.

It can also be time and labour-intensive to factor in details such as current wind speeds, or specifics relating to a particular turbine. In other cases, some turbines may not be operational due to their age or to maintenance issues.

Servusnet has developed a software solution which provides a real-time picture of how wind farm installations are performing.

Its solution is also compatible with multi-vendor turbines, rather than those from just one manufacturer, providing further ease and flexibility.

Because of the nature of how it works and the complexities it helps to manage, Servusnet’s software can also be used to manage a solar power installation or, once they are built, wave or tidal energy farms, meaning it is not just a solution for the growing wind power market.

“We’re currently trialling our software with an Irish wind farm and think this is a scaleable business. We believe that our background with Motorola gives us a head start because we have operations experience and have developed something with this in mind rather than a solution for engineers,” says Des Farren, chief executive of Servusnet.