Intelligent Energy

Power plants that harness energy from wind turbines or solar panels require dependable operations to maximize their efficiency, due to the variability of renewable energy sources. It is therefore critical to have a reliable data communication network, capable of enduring harsh conditions such as extreme temperatures and high levels of electromagnetic interference. With wind or solar farms consisting of hundreds of network units, it is vital to ensure they are easy to configure, set up and maintain. It is equally important to have a simple network topology that can be replicated and scaled as manufacturers and integrators often deliver hundreds of turnkey wind or solar farms globally. To prevent unauthorized access and safeguard the entire network, security is paramount. However, installing individual firewalls for every unit is not feasible due to the project costs it would entail.

Challenges

1. 1. the variability of renewable energy sources

2. 2. capable of enduring harsh conditions such as extreme temperatures and high levels of electromagnetic interference

3. 3. to have a simple network topology that can be replicated and scaled as manufacturers and integrators

So OLYCOM suggests to use industrial POE managed switch for outdoor.