Solar based plant care system

• Main Author: Lee, Sheryl Xin Ting
• Other Authors: Teo Hang Tong Edwin
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2022
• Subjects: Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering::Computer hardware, software and systems
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/158146
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Sustainability has always been an area of interest in conventional and urban farming. Current research focuses on using innovative practices and methods to tackle water scarcity for production, enhance food security, and improve plant growth with minimal human intervention while reducing adverse effects on the environment. To date, conventional cultivation techniques used for farming are inefficient due to poor irrigation management and a rain-fed approach. In comparison, urban agriculture faces cost and labour-intensive challenges. To improve irrigation systems, researchers have incorporated the Internet of Things (IoT) into the system mainly as a countermeasure to reduce water wastage, human labour, and errors due to human negligence through automation. However, the system mentioned has significant drawbacks. These include an inefficient automated water usage system where crops get watered even if there is rain, the strict requirement of having an available Wi-Fi network in remote areas, and the deficiency of a renewable energy source to power the entire system. This project aims to introduce a self-sustainable solar-based plant care system using an off-grid system. It could smartly self-water plants using different sensors data and allow monitoring and controlling through a mobile application using an access point.