Dairyland Power Optimizes Communications with FreeWave Wireless M2M Solutions
Company Size
1,000+
Region
- America
Country
- United States
Product
- FreeWave FGR Series Radios
- FreeWave HTPlus Radios
- FreeWave ToolSuite
Tech Stack
- Wireless M2M Communications
- SCADA Systems
Implementation Scale
- Enterprise-wide Deployment
Impact Metrics
- Cost Savings
- Customer Satisfaction
- Productivity Improvements
Technology Category
- Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
- Networks & Connectivity - Wireless Local Area Network
Applicable Industries
- Utilities
Applicable Functions
- Facility Management
- Maintenance
Use Cases
- Energy Management System
- Predictive Maintenance
- Remote Asset Management
Services
- System Integration
- Training
About The Customer
Dairyland Power, an electric power cooperative based in La Crosse, WI, services more than 600,000 customers within a 45,000-square-mile area in four Midwestern states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois). The cooperative primarily serves rural homes and farms, providing wholesale electricity to 25 member distribution cooperatives and 17 municipal utilities. Dairyland is committed to delivering exceptionally reliable energy and services to its customers at competitive prices, aiming to exceed its members’ expectations.
The Challenge
In 2000, Dairyland identified the need for a M2M communications system to monitor critical field data and streamline power delivery. At the time, wireless M2M communications in the utilities industry was a relatively new concept, and Dairyland’s existing infrastructure was complicated, expensive, inefficient, and cobbled together offerings from about 30 different technology providers. Specifically, Dairyland needed an integrated M2M solution tailored to meet the needs of electric power distributors that enabled high-speed, reliable, and cost-efficient communications in remote locations under harsh weather conditions and line-of-sight challenges from hilly terrain.
The Solution
Dairyland Power learned about FreeWave Technologies and started with a small installation of FreeWave’s FGR series radios to test before purchasing the entire system. After conducting a distribution automation study that compared various types of communications technologies operating in similar environments, Dairyland made the decision to implement the FGR series radios exclusively across its distribution network. During the study, Dairyland found that while other equipment similar to FreeWave was reliable, it lacked the required internal system performance. After deployment, the FGR wireless network performed to Dairyland’s expectations and FreeWave radios eventually replaced the majority of its former technology (lead circuits, analog cell phones, etc.). This upgrade to FreeWave’s wireless industrial M2M solutions helped Dairyland achieve real-time data collection and full system integration across its network.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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