When it came time to renovate its operations control center, Austin Energy wanted to make a smart investment in visualization technology to ensure reliable power distribution for the long term."The ability to display our entire service network, including every substation, on one continuous wall display was a critical element in our decision," comments Craig Schaub, Manager of Control Engineering at Austin Energy. Now, the utility enjoys exceptional image clarity and data legibility, with the flexibility to adapt digital content over time. And, because the rear-projected video wall features LED instead of lamp illumination, total cost of ownership is reduced.
“The LED solution is a much less expensive option over the long haul, because there are no consumables and it is more energy efficient. The Barco wall simply offered a positive business case based on proven technology,” continues Schaub.
The Barco CMS-200 software allows operators the ability to dynamically create ad-hoc views, pushing perspectives of any applications they desire from their workstations to the main display. “The ad-hoc capability is very useful for facilitating collaboration among the operations staff which can ultimately lead to better decision-making,” comments William Hunter King, SCADA Analyst for the utility.