Protecting Solar Farms for a Low Carbon Future

As economies move towards a low-carbon future and adopt green technologies, power generation via solar farms will play an increasingly larger role. To ensure their success in providing clean, reliable electricity, these sites, typically unmanned and remotely located, need to be protected against physical security threats that include theft, vandalism, trespassing, and even sabotage. The consequences of unauthorized intrusions can be severe – damage or theft of hardware, interruption of service, and severe injury or death.

To protect solar farms, Senstar recommends performing a site survey that identifies risks and collects key security requirements:

• What is the total distance of the perimeter?
• What physical deterrents are in place, such as security fencing and access controls?
• Is the fencing in good condition and free from vegetation?
• Does the site have proper lighting at night?
• Does the site have suitable and correctly placed surveillance cameras that avoid blind spots?
• Can the site be monitored remotely, and can operators respond immediately to threats?
• What is the total cost of a security incident (material, labor, and liability) vs increased security capabilities?

Security Starts at the Perimeter

Keep in mind that a security fence is only a minor deterrent to determined intruders – they can cut through or climb it in seconds. To keep your site secure, consider perimeter intrusion detection sensors that turn your existing fence into a smart fence. Senstar offers a range of sensors that can detect and locate intrusions to within a few meters or feet, integrate with on-site security systems for immediate staff notification, activate deterrence devices like additional lighting or loudspeakers, and direct PTZ cameras to the intrusion location:

• FlexZone: A cable-based fence-mounted solution that is highly cost-effective, easy to install, and ideal for small and medium-sized sites.
• FiberPatrol: A fiber optic solution ideal for the largest solar farms, FiberPatrol eliminates the need for active components along the perimeter.
• Senstar LM100: For sites without existing security lighting, or sites where light pollution is a concern, the Senstar LM100 combines accelerator-based intrusion detection with targeted illumination along the fence line. To deter potential intrusions, the luminaires can increase in intensity or strobe at the intrusion location.

Maintain Situational Awareness Across Sites via Centralized Monitoring

Operators need to know what is going on after an alarm is generated and require immediate, real-time assessment capabilities. There are many video surveillance systems available, but can they provide true situational awareness? The Senstar Symphony™ Common Operating Platform is ideal for monitoring solar farms – it provides a unified interface that displays video streams alongside detailed location information about intrusions and access control events. Local security staff can be notified of intrusion events via email or SMS, and receive images and live video to their mobile devices.

To maximum value and capabilities, the Senstar Symphony™ Common Operating Platform supports:

• Cameras from all major manufacturers, including thermal and low-light models.
• Edge recording in case of communications failure.
• ONVIF alerts from on-camera video analytics.
• Built-in server-based video analytics, including outdoor-optimized people and vehicle tracking.
• Seamless integration with Senstar perimeter intrusion detection sensors.

Avoid Complacency by Defeating Nuisance Alarms

A key requirement of solar farm security systems is how they handle false or nuisance alarms. A high nuisance alarm rate can lead to increased costs, alarm fatigue, and distraction from other duties. To combat nuisance alarms, Senstar has developed a Sensor Fusion Engine that intelligently characterizes risk by analyzing low-level sensor and video analytic data in terms of geospatial location, historical data, and advanced pattern recognition. Data synthesis enables the system to achieve levels of performance that exceed those of the individual sensors, leading to an intrusion detection system that can defeat nuisance alarms once and for all, while still maintaining the highest levels of detection and performance.

Benefit from 40+ years of Security Experience

Senstar has been a world leader in physical security technologies for over 40 years. For information on how we can help protect your solar farms (including free remote site surveys), contact your local Senstar representative.