The technology, developed by startup Ping, will be partnered with internet of things (IoT) specialist Myriota, which will connect all of the devices.
Myriota claims to be a leader in nanosatellite IoT applications by "sending small packets of data at an ultra low cost from any location worldwide".
Ping’s system works by monitoring the acoustic signatures of each machine. It can identify when a component may be damaged by the variation in those indicators, alerting the turbine owners or operators.
Myriota said it raised $15.6 million in funding in March.
"The application of Ping’s innovative monitoring solution combined with Myriota’s… application of IoT devices will no doubt reduce the time turbine owners spend manually checking their products," Myriota CEO Alex Grant said.
"With many wind farms located in areas with little to no connectivity, our monitoring solution allows companies to easily monitor their assets — regardless of location," Grant added.
Tests are due to begin at Trustpower’s 371MW Snowtown wind project in South Australia in July, with commercial availability expected in 2019, Ping CEO Matthew Stead said.
"The partnership with Myriota will enable us to roll out long life IoT devices and satellite communication," Stead added.
Machine learning
Myriota-Ping are not the only firms looking at the potential of acoustic monitoring.
Start-up OneWatt has also launched its Embedded Acoustic Recognition Sensors (Ears) product.
This machine learning system "uses acoustic data to predict equipment motor faults".
OneWatt is being backed by European innovation investor InnoEnergy.
Paolo Samontanez, CTO of OneWatt, said: "Ears literally listens to motors to prevent equipment failure.
"Not only does this reduce downtime, but it helps companies optimise their maintenance schedules — decreasing costs.
"This technology has the potential to make a real difference to how the renewables sector operates and we’re currently piloting the system with a number of key clients."
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