Wind farms are a key component of our country’s efforts to build a sustainable future. How can proactive security help protect these remote properties?
Why is wind farm security necessary?
Wind farms have been an emerging industry in the call for sustainable energy, with many wind farms dotting the landscape across the country over the last several years. These sites have become essential to Canada’s sustainable future, but they’ve also attracted the attention of criminals looking to make a profit.
Many wind farms are remote, which can leave them vulnerable to incidents of theft and vandalism, as these sites are far away from populated areas, with little activity on-site (1). While law enforcement grapples with the issue of wind farm security, provincial governments have been doing their best to stem the tide of wind farm thefts and vandalism. In 2020, the Alberta government passed the Critical Infrastructure Act to protect these properties by establishing offenses and penalties for trespassing on wind farm sites and damaging or destroying equipment (2). The hope is that these stiffer penalties will deter criminals from targeting wind farms for their valuable assets such as copper wire, but there are no guarantees that the laws on their own will be effective in stopping crime.
Recent incidents raise the call for wind turbine security.
Recent crimes further illustrate to the need for effective wind turbine security. In February 2023, RCMP investigated damaged equipment at a wind turbine project job site in Newfoundland. The vandalism comes on the heels of protestors blocking access to the site over concern for the local water supply. The damage occurred during a time when the equipment was unattended and windows on several pieces of equipment were smashed. Although they suspect some of the protestors were responsible for the damage, they did not have any video surveillance footage to confirm what exactly occurred. (3)
In April 2023, OPP responded to reports of vandalism of wind turbines in the Windsor, ON area. One incident included damage to the turbine’s power transformer and another incident damaged the base of the tower structure. Police stressed that these thefts not only affect the owner of the turbines, but the negative effects trickle down to the local community and economy as well. (4)
In November 2023, two men were charged with theft after stealing copper wire from remote wind turbine sites in southern Alberta. Witnesses in the area reported the theft to Police but there was no security surveillance footage taken of the incident. The brazen theft resulted in several hundred thousand dollars in damage, and also had a negative impact on the drinking water supply in the local community. (5)
In July 2024, RCMP investigated the theft of copper wire from wind turbines near the Alberta-
Saskatchewan border. Not only was the theft brazen, it was also extremely dangerous. When copper grounding is removed from the turbines, it can electrocute anyone within a few feet of the turbine, leading to serious injury or even death. (6)
Effective wind turbine security is needed to help stem the tide of theft and vandalism, and help prevent injury. How can Live Remote Video Monitoring assist?
How can we help provide effective sustainable energy security?
Artificial Intelligence improves detections
Artificial intelligence has proved it has many practical applications in the world of security. Our proprietary AI platform, syncroAI, provides next generation detections so our Monitoring team can deter crime in real-time, before it happens. AI will accurately detect human movement among other visual information caught on camera, including wildlife, inanimate objects, and weather patterns. By filtering out this information and focusing on human beings, AI has revolutionized our proactive approach to video security monitoring.
Our proprietary cellular LTE+ platform is ideal for wind farm locations
Our proprietary cellular LTE+ platform is ideal for remote locations such as wind farms. It allows our Video Security Units to operate completely free of traditional, wired Internet solutions that can be lacking on remote sites. Individual cellular connections in each security unit ensures that if one unit in the chain falters, the other units will continue operating, completely independently through our cellular platform. Our commitment to robust data security helps ensure that all information and images transmitted through our network are also protected. All data is transferred through our secure, custom MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) network that is segregated from public Internet traffic.
Mobile & Solar Video Security Units provide remote wind farm security
Our Video Security Units are a robust package of camera technology to capture everything that occurs on-site.
Each unit comes equipped with two stationary cameras to establish perimeter protection and situational awareness, and a dedicated PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) camera allows our Monitoring team to zoom on important details in high resolution. Installation is quick and easy, and multiple units can be quickly installed to provide full coverage on-site.
Our Mobile & Solar Units take this robust camera technology anywhere and everywhere – and they can be installed within minutes to establish proactive security on-site. By leveraging the power of solar energy to provide a proactive security solution, it’s a complete package of wind farm security protection.
Live Remote Video Monitoring deters crime in real-time
Live Remote Video Monitoring can make the difference when the security and protection of your wind farm is at stake. Our Monitoring team team keep a close watch over a variety remote properties, and are trained to deter crime when they see it. They issue proactive deterrents to ward trespassers off-site, including loud, authoritative voice commands and bright LED strobe lights to send the message that the site is off-limits. If the trespassers continue, Police will be dispatched to the scene when necessary. If a loss is incurred, our Monitoring team provide high quality footage that can make a difference in court when civil restitution is sought.
Battery Backup Systems are there in the event of downtime
Our powerful Battery Backup System can provide power to a unit if there is no power source on-site or if power is intermittent. We have designed two separate systems to cover important periods – a 24-hour system can be engaged to cover a full day and a 72 hour system is useful for longer periods when there is no power present and generators aren’t manned. With the Battery Backup System in place, you can have peace of mind that our Video Security Units installed on your site will stay fully operational when it matters most.
syncroReports is your full-service wind farm security portal
All site security information is made available to our clients at the click of a button, on web and mobile. Our proprietary reporting platform, syncroReports, provides detailed Log Reports, allows for PTZ camera control, and is a full service portal for all your security needs. syncroReports allows for project management from a distance – ideal for remote sites where travel to the site isn’t possible.
Wind farms contain many valuable assets that thieves and vandals want to exploit. By employing Live Remote Video Monitoring on-site, we can help make a difference to protect these assets and keep the wind blowing.
Resources:
- “Most large-scale wind farms are remote, making theft and vandalism a concern”, Merritt Brown, Wind Systems, December 12, 2010
- “Critical Infrastructure Defence Act”, Province of Alberta, June 17, 2020
- “RCMP Investigating damaged equipment at wind power project job site”, CBC News, February 3, 2023
- “Damage to wind turbines under investigation at Lakeshore”, Dalson Chen, Windsor Star, April 13, 2023
- “Thieves aught ripping wire out of wind turbines: Pincher Creek RCMP”, Michael Franklin, CTV News Calgary, November 29, 2023
- “Copper wire stolen from wind turbines sparks RCMP investigation”, Aaron Sousa, Global News, July 13, 2024