Proud of a significant milestone within the Transparent Gardener Project, an initiative in which growers, knowledge institutions, and partners collaborate to continuously and reliably monitor surface water quality around greenhouses. The goal: to detect leaks more quickly and limit environmental damage.

On November 11, all 15 SensorStick prototypes were successfully installed in ditches at three participating growers. These sensors measure conductivity and water temperature, which can serve as a proxy for deteriorating water quality, for example, due to discharges or leaks from greenhouses.

The SensorSticks draw energy from the ditch, combined with energy from a small solar panel on the housing. This allows them to measure continuously, without batteries or external power.

This allows the sensors to operate continuously, without batteries or external power, and to provide real-time data to the dashboard, which can be viewed by both researchers and the growers themselves.

Participants can view their measurements from the five sensors around their greenhouses via the online dashboard. This not only provides insight but also active control over the water quality in and around their business.

The project shows how innovation and collaboration can contribute to green, transparent and future-proof cultivation practices 🌱.