REVIEW OF SOLAR POWERED HYDROPONIC CONTROL SYSTEM

Abstract

The increasing population, rapid urbanization, depletion of agricultural land, water scarcity, and changing climatic conditions have created a growing demand for sustainable and efficient agricultural technologies. Hydroponics is an advanced cultivation technique that enables plants to grow without soil by supplying essential nutrients through a water-based solution. Compared with conventional agriculture, hydroponic cultivation can reduce water consumption, improve control over plant-growing conditions, and enable crop production in areas where suitable agricultural land is limited. However, maintaining suitable environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, and water availability is essential for successful hydroponic plant growth. Continuous manual monitoring of these parameters is time-consuming and may result in delayed corrective actions. The integration of embedded systems and renewable energy provides an opportunity to develop automated and sustainable hydroponic systems. This review paper focuses on the development and technological aspects of a Solar Powered Hydroponic Control System based on the ESP32 microcontroller. The proposed concept integrates temperature and humidity sensing, water-level monitoring, solar photovoltaic panels, rechargeable battery storage, cooling fans, and an LCD display for real-time monitoring and control. The ESP32 acts as the central controller, processing sensor information and controlling the ventilation system according to predefined environmental conditions. Solar panels provide renewable electrical energy, while the battery supplies stored energy during periods of insufficient sunlight. The review discusses the role of hydroponics, sensor-based environmental monitoring, IoT-enabled agriculture, solar-powered agricultural systems, and microcontroller-based automation. It also identifies current limitations, including the need for improved nutrient monitoring, pH and electrical conductivity measurement, remote monitoring, energy optimization, and intelligent control. The study highlights the potential of combining hydroponics, renewable energy, and embedded automation to develop sustainable, low-power, and resource-efficient agricultural systems.