Solar based hydroponics system

1. Summary: Automation of greenhouse involves manipulating its control variables such as moisture content, humidity, temperature, PH, TDS, light intensity etc.) to produce the ideal and optimum environment for any plant?s growth and nurturing. The aim of greenhouse automatio

Project Title

Solar based hydroponics system

Project Area of Specialization

Internet of Things

Project Summary

1. Summary:

Automation of greenhouse involves manipulating its control variables such as moisture content, humidity, temperature, PH, TDS, light intensity etc.) to produce the ideal and optimum environment for any plant’s growth and nurturing. The aim of greenhouse automation is to minimize labor cost and increase production substantially, resulting in economic benefit for our Country. For this purpose, we have designed a greenhouse structure. After analysis of different types of materials, selection of ideal materials was made for this application. Electricity is supplied to greenhouse using solar panels. Sensor nodes at different places in green house are installed to provide more accurate knowledge about our control variables so that optimum adjustment can be applied to each area in green house). By using Arduino, green house is automated by sending appropriate instructions to actuators for adjusting control variables. For example, when soil moisture is low, it is enhanced by using water sprinkler system. To notify the user about any emergency, an IOT based system has been installed to extract data on web server and an Android app has also been designed for control, monitor and live video stream of the greenhouse. The costs of this project is kept low without compromising on efficiency and performance, thus, to provide a solution suitable for both industry and farmers. The technique used in this greenhouse chamber to grow plants is known as hydroponics. The hydroponics technique is usually used to grow shallow roots plants and leafy plants such as tomato, capsicum, cucumber, spinach, lettuce, mint, coriander, strawberry and other such kind of plants. The main goal of this project is to create a greenhouse chamber that will produce vegetables and herbs round the year. The chamber consists of two partition one for summer plants and second for winter plants. Approximately ten to fifteen plants can be grown in one chamber.

Project Objectives

1.OBJECTIVE:

The main aim of this project is to make a portable “chamber” (product) that will help to grow any types of shallow roots plants. As plants required certain temperature, humidity, light and the PH level of the water. So the chamber will able to control all this parameter automatically and also the user has allowed to control this parameter manually. The technique used in this chamber to grow plants known as hydroponics. The hydroponics technique is usually used to grow shallow roots plants and leafy plants such as tomato, capsicum, cucumber, spinach, lettuce, mint, coriander, strawberry and other such kind of plants. The main goal of this project is to obtain a summer and winter vegetables and fruits around a whole year. The controller used in this project is IOT module and ARDUINO. The chamber consists of many types of sensor and actuators. Such as humidity and temperature, light and PH sensor in actuators we use fans for ventilation dc motor for flow of water in the plants and servo motor use to regulate the PH level of water. The chamber is consisting of two partition one for summer plants and second for winter plants. The quantity of plants can be grow in one chamber is ten to fifteen.

Due to climate of Pakistan we are unable to grow vegetables, herbs and fruits year around. Uses of pesticides and herbicides make earth useless for farming after sometime. In rural areas the sources are limited such as less space for farming and water resources are limited. So vertical farming is the best method for farming in such kind of area where sources are limited. Using our knowledge gained in the field of electronic engineering we are designing a control system for a hydroponics system that enable us to grow fresh vegetables and fruits inside our house all year long. If this control system is shown to adequately control the grow environments of vegetables and fruit than we have the ability to scale up the operation.

2. SCOPE OF THE PROJECT:

Hydroponics is the fastest growing sector of agriculture, and it could very well dominate food production in the future. As population increases and arable land declines due to poor land management, people will turn to new technologies like hydroponics and vertical farming to create additional channels of crop production.

3. GOALS AND OBJECTIVE:

Our main goal of this project is create a system that let anyone have the ability to grow plants using an automated indoor system.

Wireless update.

Less expensive.

Requires low maintenance.

4.WHY HYDROPONICS:

                      FIGURE _1

Hydroponics gardening is a great way to grow plants at their full potential. Plants are given as much nutrients and water as they can absorb. Setting up hydroponics requires research, several installation setups and daily monitoring to ensure proper growth. For an average gardener with busy life style, research is irritating inconvenience.

Project Implementation Method

1.Project implementation:

The end result of our project is that by using control environment we achieve sessional and un sessional crops whole year.  For this we select a closed chamber containing two partition, one for summer and second for winter.  In both partition, we use Deep Water Culture (DWC).plants will be placed on reservoir (filled with nutrients) by using supporting material which makes it partially merged in water.

2.Environmental requirement of plants:

2.1. Dht22 temperature and humidity sensor:

Temperature:

Temperature plays a great role in the growth of the plants, as mentioned above our chamber consist of two parts.

winter portion:

In winter portion to maintain temperature is very necessary thing and for this we used cooling or evaporation pads, which works in this sense that when water is flow from them, there are exhaust fans on the front part of the pads exhaust the inside chamber air and enter the fresh or cool air from the cooling pads.

Summer portion:

In summer portion we use evaporation windows, which automatically open when inside temperature is increased and there are also four fans to maintain a temperature.

Humidity:

Humidity also play a vital role in the growth of the plants.

Winter portion:

 we control humidity by showering or sprinkle method. When humidity is low the shower start showering and create an environment of required humidity and if humidity is greater the fans start to decrease it by entering only fresh air.

Summer portion:

For humidity we used showering system.

3.Nutrients requirements of plants:

 In hydroponic system nutrient is directly feed to the plant roots, so it is very necessary to continuously monitoring the parameter of nutrients and any of them is not match it directly affect the plants roots and also the growth. The parameter which can monitored is PH, TDS and EC.

The PH can be maintain by using a base and acid adder in reservior

4.Controlling:

The controlling of the whole process can be done by using Arduino mega 2560 with the help of relay modules. The dht22, PH, TDS and water level are attached to them and it is same for both portion (summer and winter). The growing led are to be controlled by using a delay for on and off because plants don’t need light for 24 hours.

5.Monitoring

The monitoring can be done by using IOT module which show the graph of humidity, temperature, PH and TDS on think speak server. The system can operate automatically as well as manually. The manual operation can be done by using (NEXTION TFT LCD) a small size human machine interface.

5.Steps involved

The steps which can define the working of both PH and TDS at a time.

1. Firstly, system detect the level of water.
2. System detect TDS, when water level is sufficient.
3. If TDS value is above 1600 PPM, it added some water.
4. After adding water, system again read the value of TDS sensor and continue until the target is achieved.
5. If the TDS value is below 600 PPM, open the fresh nutrient tanks and added into it until and unless it reaches 1600PPM.

Benefits of the Project

BENEFITS OF THE RPOJECT:

1. Since this project will focus on developing a small-scale representation of such a system, which is expandable and replicable to any extent. It will not only be attracted by industrial growers but also the average farmers, since it will provide an opportunity to increase the production level.
2. The project will be beneficial for agriculture industry of Pakistan, especially in term of implementing hydroponic techniques in a portable chamber with great capacity and reduced cost as compare to the other chambers available worldwide.
3. To fulfil the need of vegetables and fruits of a family consists of four to five members throughout the year.
4. Low maintenance is required.
5. Less space is required to grow more number of plants as compare to traditional farming.
6. No need of pesticides and herbicides as plants are grow in a closed chamber
7. To give awareness about environmental control agriculture to the farmers.

4.1 NO SOIL NEEDED:

Crops can be grown in places where the land is limited, doesn't exist, or is heavily contaminated. In the 1940s, Hydroponics was successfully used to supply fresh vegetables for troops in Wake Island, a refueling stop for Pan American airlines. Also, Hydroponics has been considered as the farming of the future to grow foods for astronauts in the space (where there is no soil) by NASA.

4.2 PH CONTROL OF THE SOLUTION:

All of the minerals are contained in the water. That means you can measure and adjust the pH levels of your water mixture much more easily compared to the soils. That ensures the optimal nutrients uptake for plants. 

4.3 CLIMATE CONTROL:

Like in greenhouses, hydroponic growers can have total control over the climate - temperature, humidity, light intensification, the composition of the air. In this sense, you can grow foods all year round regardless of the season. Farmers can produce foods at the appropriate time to maximize their business profits.

4.4 HYDROPONICS IS WATER SAVING:

Plants grown hydroponically can use only 10% of water compared to field-grown ones. In this method, water is re-circulated. Plants will take up the necessary water, while run-off ones will be captured and return to the system. Water loss only occurs in two forms - evaporation and leaks from the system (but an efficient hydroponic setup will minimize or don't have any leaks).

4.5 EFFECTIVE USE OF NUTRIENTS:

In Hydroponics, you have a 100% control of the nutrients (foods) that plants need. Before planting, growers can check what plants require and the specific amounts of nutrients needed at particular stages and mix them with water accordingly. Nutrients are conserved in the tank, so there are no losses or changes of nutrients like they are in the soil.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

Technical details of the final deliverable:

Automation of greenhouse involves manipulating its control variables such as moisture
content, humidity, temperature, PH, TDS, light intensity etc.) to produce the ideal and optimum environment for any plant’s growth and nurturing.In this project, deep water culture (DWC) system of the hydroponic technique is used. In this system, plants roots are suspended in a well oxygenated solution composed of water and nutrients.

This method is called deep water culture for two reasons;

1. Growth of plants with a reservoir containing decent amount of water, more water means more stability in our nutrient’s solutions, which leads to less monitoring and maintenance.
2. In this system the roots are submerged in the water.

IOT:

  In our project we use two types of methods for controlling the whole process

1. Automatic control
2. Manual control

Automatic control

Automatic control is done by the controller like Arduino mega 2560 and use of IOT technology through the Arduino UNO R3 WIFI module. Through internet of things controlling and monitoring of the parameter from all around the world is possible. The data would be uploaded in the Thing speak server and gave us a detail of variation arrive in our system.

Manual control

 Manual control is done by the use of nextion LCD, it is basically a human machine interface (HMI), through which all the parameter is shown graphically on it and also controlling can be possible.

Nextion lcd

 Nextion is a seamless Human Machine Interface (HMI) solution that provides a control and visualization interface between a human and a process, machine, application or appliance. Nextion is mainly applied to Internet of thing (IoT) or consumer electronics field. It is the best solution to replace the traditional LCD and LED Nixie tube.In this LCD the variations graphs of the basic parameter, harvest date,predicted harvest date are also predefined.

The function of this project to fullfill the basic need of the 4-5 family member in a house. including a solar system,which reduce the electricity dependency.

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Type of Industry

Agriculture , Food , Energy , Health

Technologies

Internet of Things (IoT), Shared Economy

Sustainable Development Goals

Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-Being for People, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Life Below Water, Life on Land

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com