Mactwin regularly provides wind farms with security measures, for example to minimize the risk of unwanted visitors.
For example, we install cameras that monitor access to the wind turbines or keep an overview of the immediate surroundings.
However, security cameras can also be used for other purposes, such as monitoring the operation of the wind turbines.

Erik van Hoogdalem, a specialist in securing wind and solar farms, explains that in addition to cameras around the site and cameras above the entrance door of a wind turbine, Mactwin also places cameras on top of the nacelle of wind turbines. Technical teams and managers of the wind turbines use these cameras to remotely monitor the operation of the turbines or to see if there is ice build-up on the rotor blades. In addition, the images are also used to watch from a distance during maintenance work and sometimes the – quite spectacular – camera images are shown on a website for stakeholders of the wind turbines.”

Rugged camera for extreme high-altitude conditions

Not every camera is suitable to place on top of the nacelle of a windmill.
“At an altitude of more than 100 meters, the conditions are extreme.
There are large temperature differences and strong winds.
Rain and the deposition of salt can also have a negative effect on the camera.
That’s why a camera on top of a wind turbine has to have the right specifications,” explains Erik van Hoogdalem.
“The camera we selected is specifically designed to withstand these harsh conditions.”

Efficient remote management

The cameras high up on the wind turbine make the management of wind turbines a lot easier.
Managers don’t have to go up as often, and wind turbines don’t have to be shut down.
That saves time and money.
Erik van Hoogdalem: “We can also manage and maintain the cameras themselves largely remotely. To do this, we connect the cameras to the Mactwin Operation Center (MOC). From the Mactwin Operation Center, we monitor the operation, image quality and recording capacity of the cameras on a daily basis. We can also make a lot of adjustments, for example in the configuration, from the MOC.”