Computing for energy and utility sites
From utility-scale solar in the desert to pumping stations and desalination plants: fanless computers that collect, process and protect operational data at unmanned sites.
- Fanless
- Modbus · IEC 104 · OPC UA
- 4G/5G backhaul
- IT/OT boundary
Unmanned sites, harsh conditions, critical data
The region is building some of the world's largest solar parks, desalination plants and grid interconnections. Their control rooms are modern, but the edge is not: inverter stations, pumping sites and remote RTU cabinets sit in sand and heat, often hours from the nearest technician.
At those sites a computer has to run without a fan, restart itself after a power dip, bridge serial field devices to IP networks, and keep collecting data when the backhaul drops. It also sits on the boundary between operational and corporate networks — which is exactly where OT cybersecurity controls focus.
What the edge of a utility network needs
No moving parts
Fanless aluminium housings and SSD storage — nothing to clog with sand or wear out between site visits.
Serial-to-IP bridging
Up to six COM ports for meters, inverters, protection relays and RTUs speaking Modbus RTU, bridged to Modbus TCP, IEC 60870-5-104 or OPC UA by your gateway software.
Self-recovery
Watchdog and auto power-on bring the unit back after a hang or an outage without a truck roll.
A firewall at the IT/OT boundary
Dedicated multi-LAN appliances separate the plant network from the corporate network and carry encrypted links back to the control centre.
Edge computers and data concentrators
Fanless box PCs with serial I/O for inverter stations, pumping sites and RTU cabinets.
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Boundary firewalls and VPN gateways
Multi-LAN appliances for the IT/OT boundary and site-to-control-centre VPN.
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Where it is used
Solar plant monitoring
Collecting inverter, string and weather-station data at block level and forwarding it to the plant SCADA.
Water network telemetry
Pump control, level and flow monitoring and leak detection at remote reservoirs and stations.
Substation data gateways
Protocol conversion and data concentration in the substation control building, in a protected cabinet.
Operator HMIs
Local panels for plant operators and maintenance crews, in Arabic and English.
Built for the edge of the grid
- -20…60°C
- with industrial SSD
- 6× COM
- serial ports for field devices
- 4G/5G
- optional backhaul
- 0
- fans to fail
IWILL industrial PCs are not type-tested to IEC 61850-3 / IEEE 1613 for installation in the substation switchyard, and are not certified for explosive atmospheres. They belong in the control building or a protected cabinet; confirm the requirements of your utility before specifying.
Frequently asked questions
Can the computers work in an outdoor cabinet in the desert?
Yes, if the cabinet keeps the internal temperature within the unit's range. In direct Gulf sun that usually means a sun shield, reflective finish and ventilation or cooling. We will check the thermal budget with you.
Which protocols are supported?
The hardware provides the serial and Ethernet interfaces; protocols such as Modbus RTU/TCP, IEC 60870-5-104, DNP3 and OPC UA are handled by the gateway or SCADA software you run on it.
How do we keep the plant network separate from the corporate network?
Put a dedicated firewall appliance at the boundary with separate zones for OT, IT and remote access, and allow only the flows the plant needs. See our cybersecurity frameworks page for the controls this supports.
Related solutions
Edge Computing & IoT
Industrial IoT gateways and edge computers for smart cities, utilities, agriculture and remote telemetry.
Read moreGulf Cybersecurity Frameworks
Fanless firewall and VPN appliances as a practical tool for the network controls in Gulf cybersecurity frameworks.
Read moreIndustrial Automation
Fanless SCADA and HMI computers for plants, process lines and remote sites in heat, dust and vibration.
Read morePlanning a solar, water or grid project?
Send us the site conditions, the field devices and the software, and we will propose hardware for each layer.