The challenge:
With limited staffing resources, Enel needed a security solution that could reliably work in a range of locations.
The results:
With LVT, Enel is saving millions of dollars in security thanks to uninterrupted service and efficient solutions from LiveView Technologies.
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As the second-largest renewable energy company in the world, Enel Green Energy runs 115 facilities in the United States and Canada. Each site stretches across thousands of acres, houses millions of dollars in cutting-edge equipment, and provides sustainably-generated power to entire communities. But the company’s commitment to efficiency runs deep: Even though Enel’s continental footprint may be massive, it’s security team is lean.
“I’m the first security person in North America,” said Phil Brophy, who joined the company in June 2017 as Head of Security Services USA and Canada at Enel North America. “And I’ve built out our expanding security force to a total of three people currently.”
Brophy’s team is not only responsible for monitoring sites that are under development in remote, low-infrastructure locations, but also for ensuring the security of fully-operational facilities that are driving a new era of sustainable energy.
“Being able to use force multiplication is critical,” said Brophy. “So is the ability to deploy things in a timely manner and maintain stability with a partner that’s valued in the industry and who you know is going to be there 24/7. That’s why LiveView Technologies makes sense.”
‘Security bang for the buck’ meets operational continuity
Four years ago, Brophy met with the LiveView Technologies (LVT) team in Utah and, impressed with the technology, he quickly decided to deploy an initial surveillance unit in Lowell, Mass., at a hydropower site on the Merrimack River. Given its proximity to the University of Massachusetts Lowell, it wasn’t uncommon for college students to vandalize the area after dark. But that first LVT Unit quickly put a stop to late-night mischief.
“It was a Friday night and I started getting these alerts on my phone. So I checked it out. When I looked at the thermal streams, I saw some figures running through the fence,” he said. “So I turned on the 5500-lumens spotlight, activated the trespassing alert and saw the figures quickly scurry away. Mission accomplished.”
Since then, Brophy has deployed LVT Units at four additional locations, from construction sites in strip malls to remote pastures with almost no infrastructure. With each project, he said, LVT’s ease of use and focus on customer experience ensures everything from setup to maintenance runs smoothly.
“We’ve had to monitor construction sites in rural areas meant for agriculture, with cattle literally roaming around. And to stand up a security position without a lot of Wi-Fi in the middle of nowhere is very challenging because you’re either running on a generator or you’re not running on anything,” Brophy said. “With LVT, there wasn’t a heavy lift—and the support is phenomenal.”
Uninterrupted service, immediate action
One key advantage LVT has brought to the Enel security team is the uninterrupted and immediate nature of its service. In remote areas, Brophy said, it can take local enforcement the better part of an hour to respond to a reported break-in. But when hundreds of millions of dollars in equipment are on the line, every minute matters. With LVT, nonstop camera surveillance managed by remote teams can protect valuable assets by thwarting and deterring criminals.
But the consequences of stolen or damaged equipment are far-reaching. If a transformer is vandalized, Brophy said, that could lead to a delay of one to six months and ultimately the loss of tax credits because the company isn’t meeting its operational deadlines. Or if hundreds of feet of heavy gauge wire are stolen, that could throw off the next days’ construction plan and lead to the loss of work.
An operations solution
For Brophy and his team, the value of LVT isn’t just in its ability to prevent crisis, but in its everyday support. “It’s not a security solution. It’s an operations solution,” he said.
During a huge rainstorm that drenched a site on a mesa near Midland-Odessa, Texas, Brophy said the cameras helped them realize the conditions were too treacherous for work.
“There were tornado-style winds over 100 mph and more than 4 inches of rain,” he said. “The LVT Unit kept its connectivity during the whole storm and the project manager was able to use it to see what conditions were like at the site from his mobile phone. He called off work ahead of schedule instead of having the team drive all the way up only to turn back.”
For other project managers, LVT can help validate contractor invoices. Using the cameras, they can confirm whether contractors and consultants actually worked for the time they bill.
And it all happens at a fraction of the cost of human security. While an in-person guard might cost $35 to $40 an hour, LVT’s cost is closer to $4 an hour.
Recently, Brophy said, LVT’s ability to demonstrate a strong ROI led to the deployment of a second camera setup system instead of a live human guard. Protected by LVT’s unit, they were able to claim a savings of several tens of thousands of dollars over the course of the project.
“I would strongly recommend LVT for the peace of mind,” he said. “From a security perspective, that’s what keeps us up. We want to make sure we don’t have that ‘oh crap’ moment. And LVT answers that for me.”
