Imagine a fully autonomous energy and telecommunication system that using thermal and optical sensors can detect fires in urban, semi-urban or even forest environments in time at the exact moment they occur. Not only that, but it can send the detections and all the relevant information gathered in real time via live video with geolocation “geotag” to any management center responsible for dealing with fires. With the climate crisis intensifying and the number of forest fires in our country – and beyond – steadily increasing year after year, such a technological “weapon” would be a lifesaver.

So this system not only exists but has been developed by Greek minds and hands. Specifically by the internationally award-winning Greek start-up nvisionist, in which PPC holds a 33.34% stake. The technology company utilizing artificial intelligence (Edge AI) and machine learning technologies (Machine Learning) created the “nvFirePro” system for early fire detection, which with monitoring up to 15 kilometers from the point of installation and with 360-degree coverage, has the ability to detect any fire outbreak and send immediate notification to the authorities in less than 60 seconds, simultaneously to up to 100 information centers/stations (Civil Protection, Fire Brigade, Police, etc.).

“Our idea for nvFirePro was also developed with the help of PPC’s Innovation Hub. It is a global innovation and a valuable ally in the fight against fires and the destruction of forests and the environment. It can distinguish smoke from anything else, e.g., thanks to dense dust, in a radius covering a perimeter of 15 km through high-resolution thermal and optical camera systems. The system has been fully operationally tested, in real conditions, is entirely self-sufficient in power, communication and security as it has photovoltaic panels, a wind turbine, an electric generator and batteries, so uninterrupted operation is ensured in areas without any access to infrastructure such as electricity and communications. It is extremely important that this is a Greek innovation of international scope, with immediate application and multi-level environmental dimensions,” Vassilis Orfanos, Special Advisor of nvisionist, tells newmoney.

As he explains, its energy and communication self-sufficiency enables it to record everything 24 hours a day, every day of the year, eliminating any gap in the monitoring of the monitored area. At the same time, its artificial intelligence technology system automatically decides on the important events, so as to proceed with the appropriate actions to inform the authorities automatically. Its detections are extremely accurate, thus avoiding false alarm signals and unnecessary mobilization costs, providing instant information and insight in seconds.

Specifically, in the event of detecting a fire outbreak, a notification is directly transmitted with:

– A high-priority alert within a few seconds, which includes an image, and
– Geographic coordinates to the control center (NOC). The system focuses on the detection point and
– Opens a live video transmission channel with high-resolution imagery for optimal assessment of the incident and faster operational coordination by the Fire Department.

At the same time, it provides the possibility of sending a special drone, which will be available, to the fire site to have a complete supervisory live aerial image which is relayed in parallel to the control center (NOC). From the control centre (NOC), the information is transmitted automatically or after evaluation to the Fire Brigade and any other service or agency that needs to be informed, either as a ticket or as a live image with all relevant information, which facilitates better preparation of the agencies that can have an overview of how the fire is progressing in live time. At the same time, it is also possible to have the option to be able to transfer all the information automatically to different management platforms.

The Tesla of wind power

Founded in 2021, nvisionist has already received 18 international and domestic awards to reward its technological innovation based on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies. It is a member of WindEurope, ELETAEN (Hellenic Wind Energy Scientific Association), as well as a member of SEPE, SEV and HETiA, and has been recognized as one of the top 10 technological scale-ups in Europe. It was one of the ten companies nominated in Digital Europe’s “Future Unicorn 2024” competition, a distinction that is significant both for the country and for Europe.

Despite nvisionist’s rapid and significant growth, Orfanos believes that it is still 65%-70% short of its goals and vision for the company. Last year, the visit of the then Prince, now King of Denmark, Frederick, to the WindEurope Annual Event 2023 exhibition in Copenhagen, where he visited nvisionist’s booth and also selected it (out of 600 companies) as one of the two most important wind energy startups at the exhibition, also made a sensation. Known for his passionate involvement in environmental issues, Frederick, instead of the twenty minutes that was scheduled, stayed twice as long, asked to learn more about us, the nvbird system and was impressed by its implementation, recalls B. Orphanos. “We became advisors to the Danish government on environmental issues, a great honor for us,” says the Special Advisor of nvisionist.

“Given that we had spent significant funds on R&D, the partnership with PPC, which is participating in the equity as a strategic investor by acquiring a 33.34% stake, came about,” he says. For the record, nvisionist at that time in 2022 was in discussions for an equity partnership with two world-class companies, but in the end PPC was chosen, which had insight from a highly complex project implemented in Ikaria.

“We have been described as ‘The Tesla of wind power’,” Orfanos says during the discussion, and we ask him if this description is accurate: “Absolutely. Tesla has succeeded in computerizing a clearly industrial space by having computer vision. We follow the same philosophy.”

It is noted that the Greek start-up has already become internationally known for its bird detection and monitoring system nvbird (Bird Detection & Monitoring System), which has application in wind energy and in the protection of the environment and biodiversity. It is a bird collision avoidance system for wind turbines that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to prevent bird collisions with wind turbine blades, virtually eliminating false stalls of wind turbines, significantly optimising their productivity, while protecting rare birds from colliding with wind turbines. “We came together and brought two worlds together, wind energy companies and environmentalists. With this system we solved their differences as they saw in practice that there is a system that works for the development of wind farms internationally, protecting the environment and biodiversity,” Orfanos says, adding that a new version of the system is currently being prepared, which will be based entirely on Artificial Intelligence.