Brentwood is delighted to have been chosen to supply two way radio solutions to a major offshore wind farm construction project.
The Galloper Wind Farm, located off the Suffolk coast near Harwich and Felixstowe, is due to come on grid in 2018. When completed, it will feature 56 turbines capable of generating 336MW of power – enough to supply 336,000 homes annually.
The project, which has is being led by Innogy SE, is being backed by a number of big name investors, including the UK Green Investment Bank, Macquarie Capital and Siemens Financial Services. Siemens has also supplied the turbines, which soar to a maximum height of 180.5 metres and generate 6MW of power each.
The construction project has created more than 700 jobs. But operating a large construction team 26km offshore, with some of the work requiring underwater installations at depths of up to 36 metres, presents a number of major logistical, health and safety and technological challenges.
Brentwood Communications was asked to step in when the project’s previous two way radio supplier was unable to provide a required upgrade to existing communications. Project management wanted to improve reliability of connections, and add features like GPS tracking, but for cost reasons were reluctant to replace their entire current network.
Weathering all storms
Following an extensive survey of current systems and requirements, we were able to design a solution which delivered the functionality they were looking for built on top of their existing equipment.
We supplied a new fleet of Motorola DP4801e digital handsets, a highly advanced display radio with a rich range of features and outstanding performance in even the toughest conditions.
Rated IP68 for water resistance, the DP4801e is completely submergible to depth of up to 1 metre. It provides multi-constellation satellite tracking on both the GPS and GLONASS systems, meaning workers on the huge site could be precisely located at any time. The DP4801e also supports a number of other critical safety features, including Emergency Button one touch alarms, Man Down alerts and Lone Worker remote monitoring.
Along with the DP4801e units, we also supplied fully submergible Motorola remote speaker mics and a hard leather carry case for each user, important for protecting against the elements in the tough conditions of the North Sea.
Going forward, we hope to improve the network further by installing a Motorola TRBOnet dispatcher software console to act as control and command centre. This will enable all the radio users to be located using the GPS feature in the DP4801 radios we supplied. This will also allow voice recording to provide traceability and accountability in emergency situations.
Find out more
For more than 40 years, Brentwood Communications has been proving that no job is too tough for two way radio. Whatever the circumstances, whatever the requirements, our expert understanding of the technology means we can always find a solution.
Contact us today on 01245 403520 to find out how we can help your project.