Cherry Tree Wind Farm is located near Seymour, Victoria in the area originally inhabited by the Taungurung people. The wind farm is owned by First Sentier Investors https://www.firstsentierinvestors.com.au with Iberdrola Australia https://iberdrola.com.au managing the development, construction, and operation of site. Iberdrola Australia is purchasing 100% of the electricity generated.

Vertel said, Cherry Tree Wind Farm was both a greenfield and remote site, which made telecommunications network infrastructure options limited and complex. Iberdrola Australia needed to find a reliable and highly available solution to meet its requirements. To do this, Vertel was recommended by partner, Vocus, to build a telecommunication network based on microwave technology to provide high capacity, fibre-like-performance services to the wind farm.

Iberdrola Australia infrastructure architect Miklos Peter said, “There was a lot of information on what services might be available and what could be provided. The solution presented by Vertel and Vocus however, met all of Iberdrola Australia’s requirements for Cherry Tree Wind Farm.”

Vocus state manager VIC & TAS David Moyle said, “Vocus had an existing relationship with Iberdrola Australia, having worked with the team for a number of years providing various services. This project was a natural expansion for both companies, with Vocus recommending Vertel as a trusted partner because of its expertise.”

Vertel says, along with the traditional microwave service, it developed a unique solution whereby the microwave tower can be powered by the wind turbines themselves. With the requirement for reliable service and backup, Vertel also designed a standalone power source that includes batteries and solar panels, which ensures there is always power available for the network service even if the wind farm is not powered.

Miklos Peter said, “Originally designed for backup purposes, this actually got tested before the wind turbines were even completed, powering the network while the turbines were finished. Once the wind farm was energised, the network was then switched over to wind power. We are very pleased with the performance of the solution.”

Vertel commercial director Tony Hudson said, “Iberdrola Australia chose Vertel because of its depth of experience in regional and remote areas as well as its experience in similar network installations in Australia.

"Vertel understands the complexities of working in areas that have limited telecommunications infrastructure and continues to innovate and look for solutions that ensure services are delivered in these areas no matter what. This project complements the extensive range of similar wind farm telecommunications projects that have previously been completed by Vertel.”

Miklos Peter said, “The fact that Iberdrola Australia can run the network in a sustainable way by powering it through the wind farm aligns perfectly to the company’s sustainability goals.

"In addition, knowing that the network will always have power at the site because of the clever design providing failover gives Iberdrola Australia peace of mind.

"Iberdrola Australia would definitely consider partnering with Vertel and Vocus for future projects and advises other organisations with limited fibre or nbn services to do the same.”