Smart Solar-Powered Greenhouse Control System using IOT

Project Title

Smart Solar-Powered Greenhouse Control System using IOT

Project Area of Specialization Internet of ThingsProject Summary

This project is all about controlling and monitoring of a green house. A greenhouse is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic conditions are grown. The interior of a greenhouse exposed to sunlight becomes significantly warmer than the external temperature, protecting its contents in cold weather. The greenhouses are filled with equipment including screening installations, heating, cooling, lighting, and may be controlled by a computer to optimize conditions for plant growth. Different techniques are then used to evaluate optimality degrees and comfort ratio of greenhouses, such as air temperature, relative humidity and vapor-pressure deficit, in order to reduce production risk prior to cultivation of a specific crop. So we will use different types of sensors to monitor the crops inside the greenhouse and also use the actuators to counter the extreme physical conditions that a crop seed faces so the seed has ideal conditions for the optimal growth. To get these optimal conditions we will use utilize the IOT techniques use the Thingspeak webserver to monitor these conditions. This project will be a self-sustaining one as it will be powered by solar energy.

Project Objectives

The project objectives are: 

• To control the physical conditions inside a Greenhouse.
• Monitor the temperature and control it to the optimal setting for the crop seed.
• Controlling Humidity and moisture to provide the best soil conditions for the roots of the crop.
• Using the actuators to counter the extreme conditions.
• Making webservers for the IOT for the data from the sensors.
• Increasing the yield of the crops growing inside the Greenhouse.
• To reduce the problem of hunger in the world
• To reduce labor cost.
• Self-power production 
• Precision farming

Project Implementation Method

For the implementation of this project we followed certain steps.

First step is the Programming phase

• First we studied the greenhouse IOT project made in our faculty previously in 2018. After studying their thesis and project reports we concluded that we can add more things in their project to improve it much better and have it be more efficient
• Then we searched for the sensors and controllers that we would utilize in this.
• After confirming them sensors and controller we started learning how to integrate them and programming them accordingly to the controller on Arduino IDE.
• After the unit testing and programming of the sensors with the controller we studied the IOT techniques we will use. We learned how to make webservers and how can we use Thingspeak to make the webservers and how the data we will transfer on these webservers.
• After that we made the individual webservers on Thingspeak and did the unit testing of each one of them.
• Then we made the whole circuit and the final webserver after the individual testing.

Now this is the programming phase done

Second phase is the solar power implementation of this project.

• Now this is the most important part of our project as this is basically the power supply of the project.
• For this we would have to know what sort of solar panel we would use meaning how much of power rating it would and how much current can be drawn from it.
• After confirming our solar panel we would also utilize a converter that would give us the desire voltages and currents values we need.
• And then the battery will be used here as a backup for the power supply.

Third phase is the making of greenhouse and implementing it with the circuitry.

• As we know a greenhouse is a structure made up of glass and wooden materials.
• So we would make the greenhouse structure first a sort of a model that represents a greenhouse
• Once a model is made then we can put the sensors and all the circuits inside it
• After this we would power the greenhouse model by setting up the power supply.

After completing these phases hopefully our project would be completed

Benefits of the Project

Agriculture is a vital sector of Pakistan's economy and accounted for 25.9 percent of GDP in 1999-2000, according to government estimates. And our project will help the agricultre industry massively.

•              To reduce the problem of hunger in the world

•              To reduce labor cost.

•              Self-power production 

•              Precision farming

And our project will help the agriculture industry massively increasing the yield and providing the optimal growth of the crops.

Our project utilizes the solar energy and that would be helpful in remote areas where there electricity and power issues.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

the controller we are using is Nodemcu ESP8266 this is a controller that has Wi-Fi enabled inside it already.

So we are not required an external Wi-Fi module for out project.

Now the programming will all be done on ArduinoIDE.

The webservers would all be made on a Thingspeak website.

Thingspeak is for IOT Projects where is Data collection in the cloud is done with advanced data analysis using MATLAB.

Here the temperature sensor we will use is DHT11 which will provide us with the humidity and temperature values. The DHT11 will also operate an electrical fan that will

A soil moisture sensor for the soil values and will operate a pump or motor for providing water when needed for the soil.

LDR is a sensor for operating a bulb that will act as a light source at night time where there is zero sunlight.

All of the values will be monitored on the Thingspeak servers we can view it from our phone or laptop by simply signing up on the Thingspeak website and view them

Also a solar panel that will as the power supply

Final Deliverable of the Project Hardware SystemCore Industry AgricultureOther Industries Others Core Technology Internet of Things (IoT)Other Technologies OthersSustainable Development Goals Zero HungerRequired Resources

Item Name	Type	No. of Units	Per Unit Cost (in Rs)	Total (in Rs)
			Total in (Rs)	40600
Solar Panel	Equipment	1	5000	5000
battery	Equipment	1	2000	2000
DC converter	Equipment	1	3000	3000
breadboards	Equipment	5	400	2000
Nodemcu ESP8266	Equipment	1	900	900
motor/pump	Equipment	1	1200	1200
LDR module	Equipment	1	600	600
DHT11 module	Equipment	1	800	800
soil moisture level sensor module	Equipment	1	500	500
wood	Equipment	5	1000	5000
glass ceramics materials	Equipment	5	1000	5000
travelling	Miscellaneous	8	300	2400
wires	Equipment	50	20	1000
Thingspeak webserver	Equipment	1	5000	5000
relay	Equipment	5	300	1500
plant soil	Miscellaneous	1	300	300
screw/nuts/bolts	Equipment	1	500	500
Thesis binding report	Miscellaneous	1	500	500
other hardware	Miscellaneous	1	3400	3400