Solar parks represent a large investment in expensive technology, and this is well-known to those who take the matter of ownership less seriously than the rest of us. Geutebruck video solutions ­already secure many solar parks worldwide and the third-largest free-field solar plant in the ­German state of Baden-Württemberg, the Solarpark Klettgau, now ­belongs to this group.

Built on the site of a former gravel pit, it has gone through a lot in the three years since its commissioning. The photo-voltaic system is located on three fields with a total area of 5.5 hectares. Nearly 9,000 modules, two transformer stations and a total capacity of 2.134 MWp make it a showcase project for the district. But what does this output mean in real terms? Well, it is equivalent to the electricity demand of about 750 households. The associated environmental benefit is large: every year, emissions of up to 1,200 tonnes of CO2 are avoided.

A video security system installed by Elektrotechnik Geiger is used to protect this large solar park. The requirements are stringent due to the difficult environmental conditions. Numerous wild animals roam on the site in the summer; the fields are even grazed. In addition, parts of the area are swampy and the rising mist evaporates on the hot solar cells, forming columns of steam that in the past would trigger bothersome false alarms. This is now avoided by the use of G-Tect/VMX sensors. The false-positive rate of the new solution is close to zero and this provides relief for the external security company that manages the alarm signals and the company takes advantage of the easy-to-use programming of alarm zones. In particular in summer when animals are grazing on the premises, it is particularly important to keep an eye out for a wolf in sheep's clothing.