Given their scale, remoteness and the value of the equipment, solar farms can be at risk from theft and vandalism. Security coverage of sites must be 24-7.
The challenge was to secure a number of large-scale ground-mount solar farms, in fenced compounds across a wide range of isolated rural settings, commencing with an initial phase of 35 locations. Harsh weather conditions and other environmental factors such as wildlife, vegetation and livestock all presented additional challenges.
A customer in this case study was an unnamed, privately owned construction and development group based in the East Midlands. It designs and installs commercial and utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Since June 2011, the company has developed and installed over 70 MWp of PV across the UK including the largest solar farm in the country. The firm has consent for a further 100 MWp of solar farms to be built during 2014.
After evaluating five separate security systems from a range of manufacturers, installer Integrated Security Design Ltd (ISD-Tech) and the customer selected the ADPRO Perimeter, Multi-site and Enterprise Security Solution by Xtralis. ISD-Tech says that they recommended ADPRO after concluding that its stability, functionality, build quality and configuration within multiple environments made it the best solution.
The ADPRO model used is the Pro 045 External PIR Sensor, a medium range, event-driven curtain sensor which uses Passive Infrared Detectors (PIRs). The Pro 045 is a for outdoor perimeter and fence-line video use. It works by sensing differences in temperature between a moving human target and the stationary background. When a potential intruder is detected, it activates a CCTV system which transmits images to a remote monitoring centre, for action to be taken. This means that protection begins at the perimeter of the site, detecting intruders before any potential problems occur.
The final system design is based on static cameras working with pre-configured detection zones from the Pro Series’ detectors, while minimising the risk of false alarms. Each detector is assigned to a camera and connected and controlled from a central digital recorder. Alarms and images from each site are then sent to an offsite alarm receiving centre. An anti-vandal feature to detect changes in detector alignment; and a four meter mounting height minimises risk of vandalism. The external PIR sensor system enables operators to monitor multiple remote sites, listen and talk to sites automatically and store, retrieve and display images and/or video in a way that suits the customers’ unique requirements. The stability of the system results in lower security management costs due to a reduced number of false alarms and associated call outs, meaning that costs have been lowered over the long term.
Nicky Stokes, Managing Director at Camberley, Surrey-based ISD-Tech, said: “ISD-Tech has found the challenges and demands of this project to be very well accommodated by the ADPRO Pro Series detectors. This has removed the challenges and obstacles faced with the design using other suppliers and technologies.”
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