Video surveillance in the solar industry Safe and secure – during the day and night
As the installed capacity of solar power grows, so too does the number of incidents at systems. Criminals are not just focusing on solar panels, but are also increasingly targeting connecting cables and even inverters. It is often smaller solar parks that fall victim to these activities, as they are located out of the way and are not always adequately protected against vandalism and theft.
Well-protected inverters in purpose-built buildings
Protecting solar parks against vandalism
Video surveillance of power generation systems is now standard. All operators try to prevent unauthorized entry to their site. To this end, the system boundaries and entry points are often monitored. However, comprehensive monitoring and surveillance in the solar field itself is rather rare.
The management team responsible for the solar park of a small German town recorded a massive drop in their energy yield. They discovered that thieves had simply cut off and stolen more than a thousand inverters. It is not always possible to install the inverters in a dedicated small building or lockable control cabinets. The damage caused by these sorts of criminal activities often far exceeds the purchase price of the technology.
In this respect, the objective of a video surveillance system is clear: The technology must cover the entire area and be optimally protected against vandalism and the environmental conditions.
Camera with high power consumption
Technical requirements
Since very large areas of solar parks are monitored with as few cameras as possible, pan and tilt systems are often used.
The intrusion detection system can include perimeter sensors, resistance wires, intrusion detection sensors, anti-tamper devices for panels, photoelectric barriers, and other equipment which is typically connected to the video surveillance system via the network. Here, it is advantageous if the connection technology has sufficient network performance and the PoE supply also has sufficient reserves for PTZ cameras with high power requirements.
Everything you need to connect your video surveillance cameras in a single compact device
All-in-one solution for video surveillance of solar systems
The Smart Ethernet Box from Phoenix Contact combines all of these features in a single device that is connected directly to the cameras.
In addition, the robust housing meets all outdoor installation requirements. Simply snap in via the mounting adapter, connect, and you’re done!
And we also support you with customer-specific terminal boxes for the solar industry.
