Controlling and managing wind turbines remotely

The challenge

Turbine makers and service partners need access to controllers for diagnostics and updates. Opening ports or sharing VPN accounts to do that exposes the whole site network.

At the same time, every hour a turbine is down costs generation, so access has to be fast when something breaks.

How Nexapp solved it

• Vendor access without open ports

  Engineers and equipment vendors connect through the InstaAccess client (ZTNA, SSL VPN or IPsec VPN) to only the equipment they support, and every session is logged.

• Cellular links that stay up

  Instaroute 4G and 5G routers with dual-SIM failover between two operators, and outdoor IP65 units that mount where the signal is best.

• Speaks the site's protocols

  RS232/RS485 serial ports, a Modbus RTU/ASCII/TCP gateway, DNP3, IEC 60870-5-101/104 and MQTT, so existing controllers and meters connect without replacement.

• Encrypted end to end

  IPsec tunnels on NexappOS with hybrid post-quantum key exchange (ML-KEM), on by default, back to the control centre.