International. Concern for the safety of the energy sector is leading solar and wind farms to seek technological innovations that guarantee the optimal functioning of the system.
Faced with the challenge of monitoring facilities in remote places, vulnerable to invasions, theft and damage, energy generating companies are beginning to adopt intelligent video surveillance systems with Full HD image resolution.
The world's largest electricity producer, GDF Suez, owns two large solar installations and thirteen wind farms in remote locations, which face the challenges of companies in this sector. The director of Project Management of GDF Suez Canada, Augusto Di Maria, says that the plants use a large number of copper cables, which are expensive and frequently stolen by thieves, and also relates cases of vandalism and accidents.
"There have already been burned trucks. We also had losses with golf clubs and balls, which hit our solar panels." 40 Axis Communications cameras were placed, with superior image quality even in low light situations. The cameras detect movement and trigger alerts for the security team, who follow updates in real time through computers, tablets or smartphones. "Since the cameras were installed, acts of vandalism have decreased to zero," Di Maria adds.
Another trend that can be observed in the energy sector, in addition to smart cameras, is image quality, which includes Full HD resolution and a new ability to display in colors in the dark. The company Simopec Commercial Crude Oil Reserve Base, for example, with its 684,000m², implemented AXIS Q6035-E cameras, with HDTV 1080p image that allows to cover large areas and expand with a great level of detail. Network cameras were also installed with a technology called Lightfinder that, unlike ordinary cameras that switch to black and white at night, generates color videos in the dark with vision superior to the human eye.
A solar power plant located in Bologna, Italy, has just solved its problem of insecurity with another technological innovation: thermal digital cameras. The company Cubi e Perina was equipped with AXIS Q1931-E cameras that generate images not from light, but by the temperature difference between the bodies. Axis Communications, which created the digital security camera in 1996, also created the world's first thermal digital camera, which in the case of Cubi e Perina allows to keep the perimeter of the property monitored, both day and night, and thus prevent the entry of strangers to the place.
"We took into account the excellent value for money, and also the compact design of these cameras. But the decisive thing was its first-class technology: we are talking about IP cameras that allow microSD recording and video analysis," describes Mirko Aucone, from ItalSicurezza, responsible for the installation.
In the coming years, according to Andrei Junqueira, Axis Business Development Manager, new video surveillance technologies will allow the energy sector not only to protect its facilities but also to better manage its production. "The integration of smart cameras with management and control software adopted by the industry will take power plants to a new level of performance," he concludes.
