Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN) has developed an innovative project that makes it possible to reinforce the safety of workers in terms of exposure to the electrical risk that may exist in very high voltage installations. The “Digital Protection of Substations” project uses augmented reality and a real-time location system to prevent teams operating at substations from entering unsafe areas, thus reducing the risk of accidents.
According to REN, this new project allows operational teams, when accessing the system to carry out work on electrical installations, to activate augmented reality, that is, the appearance of virtual images that show the vertical and horizontal limits of that zone through the tablets, cell phones or computers they are using.
Another security mechanism included in the project is the monitoring of workers through the system real time location, which makes it possible to locate the worker's position in real time «and with a high degree of accuracy and speed».
Whenever he crosses the safe zone, the system activates an alert that results in a vibration signal for the worker and an alarm for a central system.
The “Digital Protection of Substations” forms part of REN's innovation strategy, which focuses on the creation and development of solutions that make it possible to contribute to REN's operational performance in terms of security and quality of energy supply. It is also part of REN's sustainability strategy, namely in terms of safety and work.
The pilot project was installed at the Palmela substation and will now be replicated in other installations of the National Electric Network.
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