How smart access control protects wind farm operators from burglary damages and liability risks

Glinde, Germany | Today, wind turbines represent an easy target for unauthorized intruders. Until a break-in is detected, quite a long time can pass. Unfortunately, long detection time leads to high burglary damages and significant liability risk for the wind farm operator. Using an innovative smart access control system helps to reduce the detection time drastically and enables operators to react immediately to security breaches. As result, potential burglary damages are reduced and the chance of catching the intruders is increased. Moreover, operators can actively reduce their liability risk.

BREAKING INTO WIND TURBINES: EASY AND UNNOTICED

Due to insufficient security protection, wind turbines represent an easy target for unauthorized intruders. They are often in remote locations which give intruders all the time and privacy they need.

Whenever a break-in leads to a standstill of a wind turbine (for example due to damaging of the technical components), the operator will quickly realize that there is a business interruption. However, the operator will not know the reason why the turbine has stopped spinning. As break-ins usually happen at night, a service team will likely be dispatched the next morning. When they arrive on site, they will realize that a security breach had caused the business interruption.

In case that the turbine continues to operate normally despite the break-in, detecting what has happened might take weeks or even months until the next routine visit of a service team. During that period the wind turbine can be entered by anyone who passes by, which creates a significant liability risk for the wind farm operator. Hence, detection time is, in addition to the operator’s reaction time until security measures are reestablished, decisive for the extent of the operator’s liability risk.

DETECTION TIME CAN BE NEARLY ELIMINATED BY SMART ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEMS

With the help of a smart access control system, detection time can be reduced to a few seconds. The system communicates permanently with the operator’s control room and detects when the wind turbine door is opened.
Combined with further data points such as the time of the day, the system automatically generates a security breach notification in case of a break-in that enables the operator to react immediately. As result, the extent of the liability risk is only determined by the operator’s reaction time.

ELIMINATING DETECTION TIME OFFERS THREE ADVANTAGES

For the wind farm operator, using a smart access control system for his turbines offers three immediate advantages:

FIRST, potential burglary damages are reduced. This is based on the assumption that the potential damage increases with the time that an intruder can spend in a turbine. The smart access control system enables the operator to react immediately to the security breach notification and alert the police or other responsible bodies such as a private security company.

SECOND, an immediate reaction drastically increases the chance of catching the intruders. Today, the chance is very slim due to the long detection time. As the smart access control triggers a silent alarm, intruders do not expect company and have no reason to leave the scene. Series of thefts that run for months and lead to significant damages at many wind turbines can be prevented early on.

THIRD, the wind farm operator is able to minimize his liability risk that is caused by unsecured wind turbines. By eliminating detection time, only the reaction time defines the period of an insecure asset state. As every operator can control and manage the reaction time on his own, the smart access control system effectively empowers the operator to manage his liability risk.

Please find FURTHER INFORMATION and the full WHITE PAPER for download at https://www.timm-technology.de/en/how-wind-farm-operators-can-reduce-burglary-damages-and-liability-risks/

TIMM develops and manufactures high-quality safety and security technology “made in Northern Germany”, including a digital access control system for wind turbines. Founded in 1963, we have our roots in explosion-proof measuring and control technology. Today, we are considered the technology leader for systems used for electrostatic grounding and potential equalization.

Motivated by the ever-growing share of renewable energy sources TIMM established a new “Renewable Energy” division in 2017, led by Dominik Eisenbeis. In 2018, we started our development project focused on smart access control to wind turbines. The project is supported by the German state of Schleswig-Holstein.

For the project, we are leveraging our existing expertise in access control and data technology and combining it with the requirements of the wind industry. We are working together with leading industry players on the development to ensure that our solution will meet market needs.

CONTACT PERSON
Dominik Eisenbeis
Head of Division Renewable Energy
+49 40 248 35 63 90 | eisenbeis@timm-technology.de

H. Timm Elektronik GmbH
Humboldtstr. 29
21509 Glinde
GERMANY
https://www.timm-technology.de/en/

This release was published on openPR.