AR and VR for photovoltaic plants
Infinity Reply supports Eni with the augmented and virtual reality applications of a photovoltaic plant.
#3D & Mixed Reality
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The challenge
Eni New Energy Solutions is Eni's opco responsible for managing the operational activities of renewable energy plants and ensuring assigned production targets are met. Eni wanted to explore possible innovative technologies that could make centralised plant management from the control room of the San Donato Milanese headquarters more effective. The company wanted to experiment with the use of augmented and virtual reality to support its field engineers and present the features of the new Ferrera Erbognone photovoltaic plant to its stakeholders more effectively.
Developing two use cases
To support Eni’s digital development journey with AR and VR technologies, Infinity Reply developed two use cases involving Augmented and Virtual Reality devices.
In the ‘Remote Expert’ scenario, some field operators were equipped with a wearable AR device running an application capable of connecting the person in the field with an expert in the control room. The person in the control room could see from the operator's point of view and provide useful feedback based on display.
In the ‘Virtual Tour’ use case, visitors in the San Donato Milanese control room were able to explore the Eni photovoltaic plant in Ferrera Erbognone in detail thanks to an immersive HTC VR headset combined with a customised 3D application developed by Infinity Reply.
Remote Expert
For the ‘Remote Expert’ use case, Infinity Reply selected the Realwear HMT-01 AR headset combined with the HP MyRoom software. By integrating the two systems, it was possible to manage field assistance via an augmented reality video call. This way, the control room was able to see the operator's view in real time.
Infinity Reply's activity focused mainly on the hardware and software configuration of the headset to establish a stable high-resolution video call between a viewer located at the Ferrera Erbognone photovoltaic plant and the control room in San Donato Milanese.
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Virtual tour
To allow a virtual reality visit of the Ferrera Erbognone photovoltaic plant from the control room in San Donato Milanese, Infinity Reply developed an interactive application based on the Unity 3D graphic engine for the immersive HTC Vive headset.
Infinity Reply produced a 3D computer reconstruction of the entire Eni plant and data centre for an interactive user experience in the control room. The virtual tour allows users to the main components of the photovoltaic field and the weather station, to simulate the movement of the photovoltaic panels at different times of day, and to pilot a drone for an aerial exploration of the site.
The next steps
Following this project, Infinity Reply developed three more applications for Eni. The Porto Marghera bio refinery Virtual Tour allows users to discover the features of this innovative plant, the world’s first example of a conventional refinery converted into a bio refinery. For the Val d’Agri Oil Center (COVA), the largest onshore plant in Western Europe, Infinity Reply developed an experience that highlights the control and supervision system in use.
The latest experience was developed to illustrate Eni's marine technologies and projects, such as ISWEC (Internal Sea Wave Energy Coverter), PowerBuoy and the Clean Sea submarine robot used to monitor the health of the seas and to inspect offshore plants.
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Infinity Reply specializes in the development of customized Virtual and Augmented Reality solutions to enable innovative storytelling and interactive product communication. The portfolio includes XR consulting services, the development of creative and technological concepts, the production and implementation of content based on established technologies, data formats and interaction devices.