EG.D carries out a pioneering project with Hexagon dC3 LidarVision

The 3D surveillance capabilities of HxGN dC3 LidarVision software Hexagon has been the solution chosen by this energy company to secure, monitor and maintain your power lines and substations.

The company EG.D, part of the energy group E.ON, supplies electricity to 2,7 million people in the southern regions of the Czech Republic, with infrastructure management and maintenance, including power lines and transformer substations high voltage.

For energy providers, Transformer substations are an integral component of the electrical grid, whose objective is supply it safely and reliably to homes, companies, schools, hospitals, etc., with the correct voltage.

Serious incidents involving substations are rare thanks to the rigorous monitoring measures, maintenance and security implemented. However, when a fault occurs, can cause major problems for the entire society.

until recently, Best practices for protecting unmanned substations focused on traditional forms of perimeter protection through fences (usually made of steel and passive infrared sensors); alarms; remote monitoring using CCTV cameras and access control systems (often operated via card or biometrics to manage authorized access).

Customer of Hexagon for a long time, EG.D wanted to evaluate how the volumetric and LiDAR technology of this company could be used to reinforce the physical security of its substations, embarking on a pioneering pilot project that would test the capabilities of the HxGN dC3 LidarVision Software 3D Surveillance.

How do you explain Tomas Sofka, from the security technologies department of EG.D, “We have been collaborating with Hexagon in the field of GIS for many years and were especially impressed by their innovative solutions in volumetric detection and LiDAR technology. we wanted evaluate how it could be used to provide greater security, keep unauthorized persons out of substations, locate intruders and improve the protection of maintenance personnel while working on site near high voltage equipment”.

The solution chosen for this innovative project, Hexagon HxGN dC3 LidarVision is based on volumetric sensing technology and is designed to secure entire sites, unlike traditional perimeter protection systems, who tend to focus only on the fence.

The project uses five strategically placed LiDAR sensors that allow the virtual creation of safe and sterile zones (including perimeter fence), that can be activated, disabled or modified with the click of a button or mouse drag.

For example, during maintenance, it is possible to deactivate the area where the work is carried out. Meanwhile, other areas remain active to prevent workers from entering an unauthorized or potentially dangerous area.

He Authorized personnel and intruders can also be monitored and tracked automatically via a live feed in real time in the EG.D security control room. Besides, The system recognizes the number of people and their exact position, as well as his speed and direction of movement (if they walk or run) and even their projected trajectories.

All of this is complemented by PTZ cameras, alarms and speaker systems to communicate with the people in question. Another significant advantage of this type of system is the possibility of create a digital twin for each substation, what allows simulate virtual scenarios to check the resistance and resilience of security measures.

In essence, the digital twin creates a 3D representation or map of the entire facility with which you can interact. Allows optimize the position of LiDAR sensors and cameras to mitigate potential blind spots or poor viewing angles before someone enters the construction site.

The system can be further improved by thermal sensors and cameras that monitor the temperature of designated areas and issue an alert if it deviates from the norm. This is valuable for the intrusion detection (whether human or animal) and early detection of fires before they start to generate smoke.

“Our experience working with Hexagon has been exceptional. The collaboration was exemplary and professional during all phases of the project - assures Sofka -. “The response from the management team to the pilot operation has been extremely positive and we highly recommend Hexagon to other organisations.”.

After the success of the pilot, EG.D and Hexagon collaborate on a plan to deploy HxGN dC3 LidarVision at other energy facilities in the network. The company also actively shares its knowledge with other national companies in the sector., including those of EE. UU. and the Asia-Pacific region, who consider this new approach as the possible reference standard for safety and security of substations.