Offshore Windfarm Security

offshore windfarm security with SPYNEL 360 IR sensors

Modern society becomes more and more dependent on wind energy, meaning windfarms, especially if they are offshore, are increasingly interesting targets for hostile entities. The size of offshore windfarms and their remoteness in the open sea, pose a multitude of threats to these assets. They need day and night surveillance, being vulnerable to many types of threats: from collisions with a ship or a fishing boat, to vandalism, cable thefts and terrorism acts. Offshore wind farms are indeed part of a country’s “vital interests” and must therefore be protected against terrorist attacks.

Benefits of the SPYNEL solution for 24/7 Offshore Windfarm Security:

  • SPYNEL and its CYCLOPE software detection capabilities are not disturbed by turbine blade movements (unlike radars)
  • Detection of small wooden boats, and RHIBs, with no AIS, undetectable by radar
  • Automatic classification of maritime threats with Artificial Intelligence
  • Alarm editor:  smart alarm filtering (speed, trajectory, size…) and automatic response (screenshot, email, video, etc.)
  • Automatic recording of all alerts and video replay
  • Creation of smart virtual fences
  • Friend/ Foe discrimination with AIS tracks integration and fusion
  • All in one cost effective solution with low integration cost
  • Suitable for maritime corrosive environment, robust

Why is the SPYNEL solution more performant than a radar for offshore windfarm security?

The SPYNEL solution is not disturbed by vibrations, and thus by wind turbine blades, unlike radars, whose performance is reduced due to false echoes, saturation and shadowing caused by wind turbines. Moreover, radars do not detect small boats, unlike the SPYNEL Thermal Imager solution, which is able to detect, identify, classify and track threats such as RHIBs and wooden boats:

Windfarm Security: SPYNEL infrared camera can be installed onshore or... offshore!

The SPYNEL sensor can be installed on the shore and monitor the offfshore windfarm directly from the coast. Below, the green circle represents the recognition range :

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However, it can be complicated to monitor an offshore wind farm from the coast: these are usually deployed very far from the shore. This does not pose a problem for the SPYNEL solution, which is robust enough to be installed on the high seas and to withstand the corrosive marine environment

SPYNEL can be installed :

  • In the middle of the offshore wind farm, on the connection hub
  • On a wind turbine, thanks to the installation of a platform intended for this purpose, as shown in the photo below.
Windfarm Security: Perimeter surveillance of large isolated sites in the energy field

In the field of energy and renewable energy, the SPYNEL solution and its CYCLOPE software can also be deployed to ensure the security of gas compression sites, electrical substations, dams or solar farms .

3 Key Points
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Very long distance monitoring
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Suitable for marine environment, robust
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Plug & Play
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