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Surveillance in the sun

Latin America’s first solar plant is located in the city of Ullum, in the San Juan province. While Ullum may be a relatively far-off town in San Juan, it is still a very accessible site due to Hikvision technology.

“We use three Hikvision products in this IP CCTV solution, but it is not a standard CCTV setup. Unlike a normal security-based CCTV system, ours is seamlessly integrated into the overall plant control. In essence, this system allows plant operators to perform normal management functions, such as remotely adjusting any of the 1000 solar panels that this facility houses based on changing sunlight patterns – or access security-camera footage all on the same IP CCTV platform,” explained Christian Uriel Solano, president of Security One Argentina.

Solar technology demands certain accommodations, such as a location in the desert. Yet, when building a plant in the middle of the desert, located 100 kilometres from the nearest town, the importance of connectivity cannot be overstated. It quickly became apparent to engineers the most efficient manner in which to control both daily plant operations and security functions would be by remote control; as opposed to an extensive (and cost-prohibitive) onsite facility.

The first step was using Argentina’s existing multimode optical fibre and 2,4 GHz Wi-Fi networks. “For this plant, approximately 80% of transmissions are completed through fibre optics and 20% through wireless,” Solano noted.

But while this solved basic communication issues, the stakes were raised from a security standpoint. “Based on the unique set of challenges this plant represented, and the importance of this being Argentina’s initial foray into the solar field, we really needed top-of-the-line security technology to ensure the success of this project,” Solano summed up.

Surveillance line-up

Solano recognised the DVR used in this project would be critical. As such, Hikvision’s DS-9016HFI-S Embedded Hybrid DVR was chosen for technical flexibility. “The DS-9016HFI-S supports both standard resolution cameras and IP models with HD resolution. This is not a common feature among most DVR models; generally units are either standard resolution or IP – but not both,” Solano explained.

Since the demands for this project dictated that the DVR units be located at the plant, the DS-9016HFI-S’s hybrid functionality allowed the plant’s various camera types to be utilised; as well as the ability to record onsite for back-up purposes. Additionally, the requirement that 20 days of video be stored dictated a large storage capacity. As such, the DS-9016HFI-S’s up-to 8 SATA hard disk drives were critical to meet this goal.

Additional features the DS-9016HFI-S provides are H.264 video compression, advanced motion detection, three independent local-video outputs (VGA, MAIN and AUX video/audio out), up to 32 users, an easy back-up to USB and CD/DVD-RW function, and dual-streaming.

But while these Hikvision DVRs are located indoors, thus protected from the desert’s brutal conditions, many of the cameras are not so fortunate. Case in point is Hikvision’s DS-2DF1-672 1.3 Megapixel Network Speed Dome – placed outdoors and used for both viewing security and plant operational functions.

As this camera has the dual function of both running and protecting the plant, a great deal of importance was placed on crystal-clear HD imaging in real-time. The DS-2DF1-672 accomplished this with its 1,3 megapixel resolution; yet other environmental factors needed to be taken into consideration.

“The desert is a very difficult environment for a camera to operate in. Obviously, the DS-2DF1-672’s IP66 weatherproofing standard is essential for both functioning and longevity requirements. But compounding these weather conditions was the installation location, and job requirements we expected from this camera,” Solano noted.

Specifically, these cameras were placed upon high-altitude poles in order to take advantage of the DS-2DF1-672’s 360° endless pan range. This was critical for both security and control purposes, but also demanded a high-quality zoom function.

The final Hikvision ingredient to round out this solution is the DS-2CD863PF-E 1.3 Megapixel Network Camera. Placed both indoors and outdoors, this camera is tasked with perimeter security, entrance/exit surveillance, and internal surveillance needs within the plant itself – such as machinery rooms and employee rooms.

“This plant operates 24/7, so we need to be able to see what is happening at any given moment, regardless of time of day,” Solano explained. “The DS-2CD863PF-E’s true day/night feature is very, very important for us. At night, we are able to see extremely sensitive and clear black/white pictures that offer us HD imaging and information.”

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