Teo and Bergelectric Team Up to Provide Communications Solutions to the Wind Farm Industry

MUKILTEO, Wash., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Teo (http://www.teotech.com), an innovative telecommunications company with 30 years experience delivering mission-critical voice communications, and national electrical engineering contractor Bergelectric Corp. today announced a partnership to provide vital communications services to wind farm operators. Initial deployments are currently underway at two sites and already show potential of drastically improving safety and enhancing productivity for maintenance personnel.

Due to the way wind turbines are constructed, as well as the remoteness of most sites, communication has traditionally been very challenging. Through the new partnership, Teo and Bergelectric are outfitting each wind turbine with Internet access as well as a telephone equipped with Enhanced 911 (E911) technology.

Teo will provide the phones, industrial switches, unified communications platform and other equipment, while Bergelectric will design and install the fiber connections and equipment. Together, the result will be a comprehensive system that will provide voice and data communications to each turbine as well as between disparate turbines.

"There is a definite need for creative and thorough communications capabilities for wind turbines," said Jason Hayes of Bergelectric. "Bergelectric was eager to design and install a system that makes wind energy operations more efficient, cost-effective and safe for everyone who works with them. By equipping the top of each turbine with an E911-enabled phone and IP connection points for various devices such as computers, cameras and sensors, we're not only increasing safety for maintenance personnel, we're also enabling them to become more efficient – they can now access electronic work instructions, contact technical support, access manuals and diagrams and operate SCADA from the top of the turbine, eliminating the time-consuming up-and-down process or the need to utilize a radio-to-phone middleman."

The first projects for the partnership will be to deliver complete communications capabilities to the Harvest Wind Project and White Creek Wind I in Roosevelt, WA.  Combined, the two wind energy projects have 132 Siemens 2.3 MW turbines.

"Teo's communications platform is extremely flexible, which enables us to create solutions tailored to various types of businesses across many different markets," said John Toomajon, vice president of Teo Services, Teo's exclusive reseller and systems integration partner. "We look forward to continuing to work with Bergelectric as its exclusive communications system provider for the wind farm industry, where we both see an enormous opportunity. As the economy continues to support more environmentally friendly wind-energy projects in the future, we must ensure that workers are both safe and efficient when maintaining these turbines."

With this partnership, Bergelectric is entering into two new markets - communications and windfarms, and has chosen Teo, with its solid, American-made hardware, as its exclusive manufacturer. Both companies plan to use these initial deployments as a worldwide example of how to outfit wind turbines with appropriate safety and communications capabilities. Already, the project is showing potential to lower insurance premiums and labor services costs.

For more information about Teo and Bergelectric's solutions for the wind farm industry, please contact Teo Services at 1-877-399-7040 or www.teotechservices.com.

About Teo

Teo is an innovative telecommunications company specializing in telephone and network solutions for Fortune 1,000 companies, government agencies, educational institutions and small and large businesses around the world. The company, located in Mukilteo, Washington, offers several made-in-the-USA products including, most recently, a unified communications platform. Teo's product suite also includes an Enhanced 911 (E911) Emergency Awareness Solutions, U.S.-manufactured ISDN and VoIP telephones, NT1 ISDN Network Terminations and ISDN Centrex Attendant Consoles. For more information about Teo, please visit www.teotech.com.

About Teo Services

Teo Services provides nationwide installation, training and support for Teo Unified Communications and E911 systems. Providing integrated services encompassing network engineering, network build out, wireless infrastructure, structured cabling, network monitoring and 24/7 support enables the highest level quality installation and support possible. For more information, please visit www.teotechservices.com.

About Bergelectric

As one of the largest electrical contractors in the nation, Bergelectric has solid working relationships with the most reputable manufacturers of electrical equipment. Bergelectric has come a long way since opening its doors in 1946, maintaining a strong presence not only throughout California, but also being recognized as a leading electrical contractor in Las Vegas, Portland, Phoenix, Denver, Orlando, Raleigh and Austin. Combined CADD coordination with sophisticated prefabrication methods have resulted in the creation of specialized, yet integrated service divisions. These value-added service areas include fire and life safety, communications and security. Read more at www.bergelectric.com.

Media Contacts: Michelle Craig or Katie James, Nyhus Communications LLC for Teo, (206) 323-3733 | [email protected] or [email protected]

SOURCE Teo