Hawaiian Electric Company, a recognized model electric utility and a dynamic energy player, recently selected FreeWave Technologies for a fault circuit indicator project.
FreeWave Technologies is a manufacturer of the most reliable, high-performance spread spectrum and licensed radios for critical data transmission.
HECO will deploy FCI throughout the island of Oahu and will be able to successfully lessen power outages along the power line by detecting fault data and transmitting it in real time with FreeWave's wireless data radios.
This installation will further allow HECO to quickly restore power to residents.
In a statement, Curt Goldman, utility market manager at FreeWave Technologies, said, "Our solutions are ideal for distribution automation applications such as FCIs, because they perform exceedingly well in challenging, remote environments."
"This deployment began in one of the most difficult terrains for wireless data transmission on the island of Oahu,” he added. “The substation in the northwest corner of the island is extremely remote and the technology is deployed on a beach, exposing the wireless radios to harsh environmental elements. This was a location where competing wireless communication technologies previously were unable to receive or transmit critical data. However, our radios have performed well since day one."
HECO also worked with Power Delivery Products Inc., valued partner of FreeWave, who provided the Smart Navigator FCI sensors, to install a network using FreeWave's FGR2-PE radios for long range wireless communications.
As a part of the portfolio of Ethernet solutions, FreeWave’s FGR2-PE radio offers simple Ethernet connectivity, industrial-grade security, superior RF link performance and integrated network manageability.
In related TMC (News - Alert) news, FreeWave Technologies has been recognized with the American Technology (News - Alert) Award for outstanding achievement in the Smart Grid and Smart Instrument Category for its popular FGR2-PE wireless data radio.
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Edited by Braden Becker