Barco display walls help Elia monitor Belgian electricity transmission
Kortrijk, Belgium, 8 July 2010. Barco, a global leader in visualization technology, is proud to announce that it has installed the largest display wall in the Benelux region at Elia, Belgium's electricity transmission system operator. Elia has recently moved to a brand-new national control center where two impressive Barco video walls offer operators a dynamic, real-time overview of the electricity grid.
Elia ensures the continuous, stable transmission of electricity from the power plants to the distribution system operators and the industrial customers. It is also responsible for importing and exporting electrical energy to and from Belgium's neighboring countries. When merging the national control center with the regional dispatching, Elia had to look for a new video wall to visualize the electrical grid. Thanks to Elia's past good experiences with Barco and its technological leadership, Barco came out tops again when Elia needed a new visualization solution for the new building.In the space of just three weeks, the two walls were up and running. In the regional control center, which is situated next to the national dispatching center, system operators and engineers monitor energy flows for the Brussels' region on an OV 715- rear-projection wall, in a 7x3 set-up. Their colleagues at the national center supervise the flows on the 380kV, 220kV and 150kV grids on a second 7x3 70'' screen.
Elia is thrilled with the wall's exceptional clarity, contrast and high resolution. “The SCADA information is presented with the highest color accuracy and contrast range,” says Gustaaf Hoste, IT Exploitation Project Manager. “Our engineers also consider the user-friendliness and flexibility to be major assets. It allows them to easily change info on the wall or look at part of the grid in greater detail.”
Barco's OV-D2 series integrate cutting edge DLP™ technology into 70" video wall systems that are designed and optimized for use in a 24/7 mission critical environment. The Barco designed projection engine provides a set of unique features. The result is an unrivaled DLP™ rear projection-system with outstanding picture quality, reliability and ease of use.
About Elia
Elia is the Belgian transmission system operator, transmitting electricity from producers to distribution system operators and major industrial users and being responsible for importing and exporting electrical energy to and from Belgium's neighboring countries. Elia owns the entire Belgian very-high-voltage grid (150 to 380 kV) and some 94% (ownership and user rights) of Belgium's high-voltage grid infrastructure (30 to 70 kV). Elia's grid consists of 5,614 kilometers of overhead lines and 2,765 kilometers of underground connections and is a key link between electricity markets in northern and southern Europe. The company also controls the German transmission system operator 50Hertz Transmission, in which it holds a 60% stake. Belgium's recent investments in interconnection capacity with its neighbors make it one of the most open and interconnected countries in Europe.
About Barco
Barco, a global technology company, designs and develops visualization products for a variety of selected professional markets. Barco has its own facilities for Sales & Marketing, Customer Support, R&D and Manufacturing in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific. Barco (NYSE Euronext Brussels: BAR) is active in more than 90 countries with about 3,300 employees worldwide. Barco posted sales of 638 million euro in 2009.
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