When Elera Renováveis acquired UFV Alex, one of the largest solar collection projects in Brazil, the company knew protecting this remote solar farm from vandals and thieves would be challenging. They could install some 273 fixed surveillance cameras with video analytics, spaced every 164 feet along the 8-mile perimeter. However, trying to continuously monitor that many video streams simultaneously would be problematic for operators. The company wanted a more streamlined solution that could instantly detect intruders, visually verify incidents, reduce the rate of false alarms, and operate in total darkness.
Elera hired Aeon Security, a systems integrator and Axis partner, to devise a more cost-effective option. The Aeon solution integrated 16 AXIS Q62 Series PTZ cameras with Aura Ai-2 buried fiber-optic cable technology from Future Fibre Technologies. The cable instantly pinpoints intrusions along the perimeter of the solar complex with an accuracy of 8 feet and sends the geolocation data to the cameras to capture the incidents. As another proactive measure, Aeon integrated Axis network horn speakers to broadcast warnings to trespassers that they are under surveillance and should vacate the premises. The solution operates on a Digifort video management platform that includes alarm management.