Final trials of listening devices that monitor the health of wind turbines and use satellite communication to transmit data will take place in the coming months ahead of a commercial launch mid year.
Adelaide-based startup Ping Services was awarded an $A 170,000 (approximately € 106,000) Australian Government Accelerating Commercialisation grant last week to help trial, upscale, connect and launch its device on domestic and international markets after six years in research and development. Ping has been part of the first cohort of the Venture Catalyst Space program run by the University of South Australia at its Innovation & Collaboration Centre.
Ping Monitor
The Ping Monitor is a world-first application of aero-acoustic analysis to help continually detect wind turbine blade damage. It has the potential to replace or reduce drones and maintenance crews that routinely inspect wind turbines, sometimes long after a problem has occurred.
The key piece of technology in the patented device is the algorithm that can rate the health of the turbine based on its acoustic signature on a scale of one to five and monitor changes over time.
New Solar-powered Version
An initial, portable, Ping Monitor was launched in September 2018, but a new solar-powered version that is fixed magnetically to the turbine pole about two metres above ground or sits off the ground alongside the turbine will be launched mid year.
A Ping Monitor version 2.0 and associated solar panel will use magnets to affix to turbine towers.
The 2.0 version will also benefit from a collaboration between Ping and South Australian IoT satellite communications company Myriota, enabling the acoustic monitor to transmit data into the cloud from almost anywhere on Earth regardless of cellular network connectivity.
Pilot Trials
Ping CEO Matthew Stead said pilot trials of the updated monitor are being conducted in Australia and the United States and follow extensive version one trials last year that tested analytics and fault detection algorithms.
