Sunstone Systems developed the Autonomous Remote Communications System (ARC) 4.0, a a Solar CCTV System that provides real-time surveillance, analytics, and alerts to remote monitoring centres without any hardwired power or data connections. It was designed and manufactured in partnership with WJ and deployed in a number of locations across the UK Strategic Road Network to improve highways monitoring, incident detection, and the safety of road workers.
The project included 17 Solar CCTV Systems with attached surveillance cameras and LTE transmitters on the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross Scheme, which relayed real-time surveillance to UK Road Monitoring Centres.
The ARC: A Sustainable Solution for Highway Surveillance
The Autonomous Remote Communications Unit (ARC) is a solar-powered CCTV System
designed by Sunstone Systems. The ARC is an innovative solution for highways that require temporary or long-term surveillance, security, data, and internet connectivity. The tower is equipped with high-quality CCTV cameras that can be customised to suit specific surveillance needs. The system is portable, versatile, and can be easily transported and set up at any location.
One of the key benefits of the ARC is its ability to reduce carbon emissions. The system is powered entirely by renewable solar energy, eliminating the need for diesel generators on the roadside, which emit harmful greenhouse gases. This feature makes the ARC an eco-friendly solution for transport, reducing carbon footprint and helping organisations to achieve their sustainability targets.
The ARC is an innovative solution that provides sustainable benefits for highways, reducing carbon emissions while enhancing safety and security. Its off-grid capabilities make it a reliable and cost-effective solution that can be easily deployed and customised to meet the specific needs of different highways and transport projects. The system is also scalable, portable, and modular, providing the requisite flexibility for developing sites and operational requirements.
The challenges we overcame in partnership
The development of our solar-powered traffic surveillance system for the A30 project posed several key challenges that we had to overcome. The first challenge was to design a system that could be safely deployed on the roadside and withstand significant wind speeds without being anchored to the ground. To address this, we worked closely with independent structural engineers to ensure that our system was structurally sound, weighted and could withstand the forces of the wind.
Another challenge was to provide a system that could operate without any hardwired power or data connections. To achieve this, we utilised our expertise in off-grid and solar-powered platforms to design a solution that was self-contained and could generate its own power through solar panels. This enabled us to deploy the system in remote locations where there was no access to power or data connections. By harnessing the power of the sun, we were able to create a sustainable and environmentally-friendly solution that not only meets the operational requirements of the system, but also reduces the reliance on traditional power sources and lowers overall carbon emissions.
To ensure that the system was always connected, we integrated telecommunication modules that had multiple cellular connections. These connections could failover to the highest bandwidth and provide the highest standards in cyber security digital connections. This enabled the system to remain securely connected even in areas with low signal strength.
We integrated onboard smart analytics software to automate camera tracking to slew to traffic incidents and then relay in real-time to monitoring centres. This allowed for swift response times in the event of an incident on the road and improved safety for drivers.
Working together, we delivered an innovative solution, improved safety and saved CO2
The A30 project is an excellent example of how clean technologies can be leveraged to improve sustainability and reduce emissions. Traditional roadside CCTV cameras are powered using diesel generators or by connecting to the power grid, which results in significant carbon emissions and air pollution. We have improved our sustainability profile and helped reduce Co2e emissions considerably on the A30 Project by delivering power using solar technologies.
Phase 1 of the A30 project delivered a reduction of 972 tCO2e in emissions, which equates to £67,394 of social value. This carbon saving was achieved by replacing traditional diesel generators with solar-powered systems. By doing so, we eliminated air pollution from diesel generators and significantly reduced carbon emissions. Moreover, the use of solar technologies has provided additional benefits such as reducing noise pollution, reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and improving the resilience of the power supply.
In addition to the carbon savings, the use of our ARC System has eliminated the need for installing hardwired cable infrastructure. The A30 project would have required 10681m of power cable and 6486m of fibreoptic, costing more than £100,000. The use of the ARC System, which is completely autonomous and streams highway surveillance in real-time across the LTE network and onto the internet for monitoring, has substantially reduced costs and protected the local environment from damage and disruption.
We implemented a sustainable approach to the A30 Project by using solar technologies to power the surveillance cameras, eliminating the need for hardwired cable infrastructure, and reducing installation costs. By doing so, we have demonstrated our commitment to reducing emissions and improving sustainability.
The A30 project is a game-changer in the world of clean technologies. By leveraging solar power to reduce carbon emissions, we have demonstrated our commitment to reducing our (including our stakeholders) carbon footprint and improving sustainability. The use of ARC System has not only reduced costs but also reduced the reliance on traditional diesel generators, which contribute significantly to Co2e emissions. We have set an example for the industry to follow by showcasing how clean technologies can be used to improve sustainability, reduce emissions and achieve net zero.
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