In the earliest days of solenoid-controlled valves, the power requirements for solenoid coils were extremely high. As a result, automating process valves was very limited in practice. In addition, plenty of consideration had to be given to specific challenges such as heat, large gauge wiring, and consistent power supply.
Solenoid power consumption isn’t nearly as demanding in today’s world since high wattage is only 5 – 10 watts. However, the scale of valve automation has grown to a point where even the modern coil’s standard power requirements can limit real-world applications.