GoView Surveillance - Blog #Solar Power

MOBILE SURVEILLANCE POWER OPTIONS: DO I NEED A FUEL CELL GENERATOR?

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 13:22:03 -0600

When it comes to mobile surveillance there are several options to power your system. In this post we will review the most commonly used options for primary and backup power.

1. Grid Power or sometimes referred to as "shore" power can be used when available. Most construction sites eventually have power lines installed and contractors can run extension cords from the power demarcation. One advantage is that grid power is the lowest cost method to power a mobile surveillance system. The disadvantage is that it could easily become disconnected or may not be reliable so as with all power sources having a backup battery bank or secondary power source is vital

2. Solar power is very reliable as long as the system is properly engineered and a 25-30% buffer. Monocrystalline solar panels are the preferred type of panel for mobile security and surveillance systems. Solar panels only produce power when there is adequate sunlight and as the intensity of the sun can vary throughout the day, the voltage feeding the system will also vary widely. All systems should have an MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) solar charge controller. The MPPT controller regulates the system voltage. It protects the battery and other components from damage. It also increases the efficiency of the charging circuit and extends the life of batteries on the system.

3. Fossil Fuel Generators (gas and diesel) can provide backup power if primary power fails. They could also be used as a primary power source. A consideration with a traditional generator is noise. Diesel and gas generators do not have the same muffling capability of a car engine and can produce noise levels exceeding 100 decibels for sustained periods of time. They can be messy, produce exhaust, and also require flammable fuel to run. When used as a backup, a generator can be programmed with an input switch to turn on automatically when battery voltage drops below a set point and then shut off automatically. These generators have the advantage of being low cost.

4. Fuel Cell Generators are a relatively new development and run on hydrogen fuel cells. They are extremely efficient, make almost no noise and are perfect in almost every way...Except cost. A small unit that serves as a backup will cost about $10,000

5. While less common, there are also mini wind turbines that are designed for mobile trailers and can provide and additional power boost using a renewable energy source. For a system that just needs a small amount of additional power in addition to the primary source, this might be a viable option.

SHOULD WE USE MOBILE OR FIXED SURVEILLANCE? IMPORTANT FACTORS TO CONSIDER

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 11:46:00 -0600

We often see mobile surveillance solutions being deployed at locations that might be better served by a fixed surveillance solution and vice versa. In some cases the reasons for using mobile surveillance might not be obvious. This post will explore some of the factors to consider when choosing which solution will provide the best results for your specific application.

The biggest factor when determining what type of solution to use is how long you will need the solution. A construction site is an ideal use case for mobile surveillance. Even sites that might take 1 or more years to complete are still ideal for mobile solutions because the location of materials and areas of interest will likely change. Lumber, copper, and other valuable materials may be stored on on the jobsite and moved to different locations on the site as construction progresses. For this reason, the ability to quickly move the surveillance system is important.

Location and source of power is an important factor. If the site will never have grid power or it is not cost effective to install grid power, then you might want to initially use a mobile solution. If power is the only issue, then you might want to consider a skid type system that will provide a semi-fixed solution. This form factor will provide a platform that will allow for storage of an adequate battery bank and solution arrays. It also is less likely to be moved, tampered with, or stolen.

The aggressive appearance of mobile trailers can be intimidating to criminals. This has been proven in the case of retail stores. Retail big boxes have found that they can actually reduce instore shrinkage and theft by deploying external mobile trailers with lights and audio. Big box retail stores have found that mobile surveillance units reduce crime that fixed cameras when placed in the exact same location.

In some cases it makes sense to use a mobile solution initially and then transition to a fixed solution. Take for instance a car dealership or equipment yard. Initially it might make sense to quickly deploy a mobile solution. Once you feel like this is an effective solution and that it is something you plan to incorporate into your long-term security plan, it would likely make sense to transition to a fixed solution. You could install 3-4 stations on your parking area for the cost of 1-2 years of mobile surveillance rental.

GoView can work with organizations to create their own mobile surveillance program. In one case a big box retail change was spending $32,000 per location to rent mobile surveillance units from a competitor. GoView was able to reduce that cost to less than $20,000 per location with no impact to operations. Call us today and learn how we can save your organization time and money.

WHAT IS THE APPROPRIATE SOLAR WATTAGE FOR A MOBILE SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM?

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 15:33:00 -0600

GoView trailers have on average 40% more solar generating capacity than most of our competitors. Some might ask, "Is that really necessary?"

Areas north of the sunbelt get significantly less sun during the winter months. When you couple this decreased sunlight with storms or overcast days, you can quickly run power deficits which can become unsustainable. Providers have long realized this problem and have come up with many solutions such as powering down key components during daytime hours, using diesel generators, and more recently using costly fuel cell generators.

In many cases these problems could be solved more cost effectively by increasing battery amp hour capacity and solar array wattage.

Here are the factors that must be used in calculating the solar charging system:

1. Load or current draw in watts: Add up the wattage of all the devices that will be drawing power from the system. This is the single most important number in your system design. This can be found in the specification sheet for all devices.

2. Solar Zone: Different parts of the country receive more sun than others. If you live in Seattle you understand this concept. Refer to the chart on the left to determine your solar zone.

3. Solar generation: Solar panels are not 100% efficient. As an example, if you have a 100 Watt panel, we estimate you should be able to support 12.5 Watts of continuous power generation in zone 2. This 100 Watt panel might produce anywhere from 200 Watts to 700 watts in a 24 hour period which is a big range. The excess power is stored in the battery for a literal "rainy day".

4. Deployable area and cost are 2 other factors in sizing your solar array. More panels take up more space and on many sites there is a limited area for deployment. Adding additional wattage can also increase the cost and if the system is not designed properly may not produce any additional benefit.

Summary: Solar system designers must use all of the above information to determine the proper size of solar array and battery storage bank. Most of our systems need to sustain between 90 and 140 watts of continuous loads. In southern states we can do this with 700 watts of solar and 800 AH of backup battery. In northern states we use systems with more than 1300 watts of solar and 1600 AH of backup battery.