Case Studies Creating a Communications Backbone for Power Plants

Electro-Ecology Quavant designed, deployed and maintained a private wireless broadband network that connected multiple hydroelectric power generation sites in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York State with a centralized operations center to support lights-out system monitoring and operations.

Electro Ecology is an independent hydro-electric owner/producer who owns and operates six hydro-electric sites in Upstate New York. The client needed the ability to monitor and operate all dam water control and power production systems, capture and review real-time security video, and respond quickly to possible terrorist action. (Dams associated with hydro-electric sites have been classified as potential soft targets by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Critical issues to be addressed included survivability and data security required by Homeland Security.)

Quavant was responsible for network design, site permitting, tower construction, equipment selection, configuration, testing, deployment and the ongoing operation. The network consists of point-to-point full-duplex wireless circuits utilizing 5.8 & 24 GHz technologies arranged in a hybrid mesh configuration. Additionally, the Quavant team was responsible for the development of web-based applications and systems to allow the secure monitoring and operation of the plant over the Internet via PDA handheld devices. Monitoring systems included web-based interfaces using thin-client devices (web-browser, PDA, mobile phones and secure telnet). Applications included video monitoring, operations of dam & flood controls, generator controls, and power distribution.

© 2006 Quavant Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.