Design of Agrivoltaic System With Internet of Things Control For Chili Fruit Classification Using The Neural Network Method
Design of Agrivoltaic System With Internet of Things Control For Chili Fruit Classification Using The Neural Network Method
Corresponding Author:
Habib Satria
Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Medan Area
Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia
Email: [email protected]
1. INTRODUCTION
The development of a smart agricultural system integrated with renewable energy should be able to
be developed in Indonesia due to the geographical and climate conditions that support it [1], [2]. Fertile soil
and adequate solar energy should help farmers export agricultural products and raw materials to other
countries to support the achievement of farmers' welfare [3], [4]. However, the problem of inadequate
technology has hampered agricultural productivity and of course has also had an impact on the decreasing
number of young people pursuing this profession. Therefore, the development of systematic technology in
farming should be able to stimulate the young generation and farmers to rise and compete again so that it
becomes the choice of the young generation and farmers today in pursuing this agricultural work. Several
modern agricultural systems have been developed today, including the agrivoltaic plant system [5]–[8]. This
system operates by combining photovoltaic (PV) and agricultural technology systems on the same land [9],
[10]. To support the advantages of the agrivoltaic system, this technology has also developed a model of
nutrient-rich water media as a substitute for soil [11], [12]. The plants that will be implemented are chili
plants which will also be developed in conditions that are resistant to disease and extreme weather [13]–[15].
Then the chili is planted using agrivoltaic which of course operates on all systems and is integrated with the
sensors that have been planted. This agrivoltaic model is also equipped with the nutrient film technique
(NFT) technique which is usually found in hydroponic systems [16], [17]. This technique involves flowing a
thin stream of nutrient solution beneath the plant roots through an inclined channel or pipe, so that the roots
are only partially submerged in the solution, allowing air to continue to flow around the roots [18]. This NFT
system can be integrated with internet of things (IoT) technology to monitor and control plant conditions
automatically [19], [20]. The development of IoT technology in this agrivoltaic system is capable of
monitoring and controlling agricultural systems to become more sophisticated. The IoT system works based
on sensors connected to the NodeMCU ESP8266 so that it can collect data in real time and send it to a central
platform that can be accessed online [21]–[23]. In the nutrient and temperature monitoring system in
agrivoltaic technology, sensors such as pH sensors, DHT11 humidity sensors, and nutrient sensors are
installed around the plants to measure nutrient conditions, ambient temperature, and water acidity. The
collected data is then sent via a website for further analysis. Then, in order for this system to work
continuously, this agrivoltaic technology is developed using solar power, of course, allowing the agrivoltaic
technology system to operate independently and save energy [24]. The usefulness of implementing IoT-based
technology is inseparable from avoiding systems that die due to grid power outages. With this hybrid system
created, it will prevent blackouts and missed monitoring when the grid power goes out, so that technology
can be controlled within 24 hours. In addition, the use of solar power as an energy source in this monitoring
system has several advantages, the first of which is solar power as a reliable new renewable energy source. In
remote or isolated agricultural environments, access to grid power supplies may be limited. By using solar
panels to generate energy, the monitoring system can operate independently without relying on external
power supplies. This will certainly ensure the smooth operation of the system and continuous monitoring.
This agrivoltaic system previously farmers had limitations in caring for their plants by using this technology
is able to provide easy access so that it does not have to be controlled continuously. Real-time monitoring
with the IoT system allows for accurate and up-to-date monitoring and control of nutritional and temperature
conditions in chili plants [25]. This provides direct information to users, allowing chili farmers to
immediately take necessary actions to maintain optimal growing conditions. By utilizing IoT technology and
solar energy, this system is expected to be an efficient, automatic, and reliable solution in chili cultivation
with the NFT system. Then to make it easier to classify ripe, raw, and rotten chilies, a neural network method
was developed with the help of data collection based on data from a mini smart camera. This smart farming
complex model is also very easy to implement in housing without a large area of land.
2. METHOD
Chili plant growth monitoring can be monitored remotely and chili fruit care can be controlled
remotely using the IoT system. This IoT-based agrivoltaic chili plant automatic control system technology is
designed to make farming easier while producing high-quality chilies. This system will also make it easier for
agrivoltaic chili farmers to carry out maintenance only via mobile phones, and allow farmers to monitor and
control anytime and anywhere as long as there is a stable internet connection. Chili plants that are monitored
are carried out in real-time by sending image data using a mini smart camera module and several integrated
sensors. Image data will be stored in the application for monitoring plant conditions during the planting period.
This tool is also equipped with an ESP8266 microcontroller which functions to transfer data from sensors in
the IoT concept. The special advantage of agrivoltaic technology developed from this water circulation system
is its ability to accelerate the growth of chilies because the nutrients in the water tank can be maintained
properly thanks to sensor readings, so that plants do not lack nutrients. In addition, this tool is also flexible and
can be applied to other plants, including those planted in soil media. Then the artificial neural network method
is used in the classification of chili fruits such as ripe, raw and rotten chili fruit patterns so that it is easier for
farmers to sort. The integrated agrivoltaic design system of sensors and IoT is shown in Figure 1.
(a) (b)
(c)
Figure 2. Frequency distribution graph system of PV output values measured by INA219 sensor frequency
output value of (a) DC voltage PV, (b) DC current PV, and (c) DC power PV
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Table 1 shows the results of maximum power measurements at around 1:00 pm with a power of
17.01 W with the aim of supplying an electrical energy source to the UV lamp and also as a source for the
microcontroller. Testing data transfer on NodeMCU to Blynk or vice versa using the NodeMCU ESP8266
microcontroller. This test functions as a data transmission and data receiver so that the data obtained has the
stability of sending data testing sensors used on the NodeMCU ESP8266 microcontroller. This table may be
used to show the efficiency or reliability of data transmission by the NodeMCU ESP8266 module. The
difference between the data sent and received can indicate several factors such as data loss, signal quality, or
the module's ability to transmit data as shown in Table 2.
In Table 2, the transmitted data can be obtained from 1.0 kb to 1.8 kb, directly proportional to the
amount of data received, there is also an increase from 20 bytes to 42 bytes. Therefore, the measurement of
the NodeMCU ESP826 that has been tested obtained good efficiency values and also success in data
transmission. Temperature and humidity testing changes throughout the day in the agrivoltaic technology
environment. Environmental conditions greatly affect the growth of chili plants under solar panels, as well as
to manage and optimize agricultural and energy production. The monitoring system at the temperature
measured in degrees Celsius (°C) at each time. This temperature varies from the lowest 28.3 °C at 7:00 am to
the highest temperature reaching 31.6 °C at 1:00 pm, then slightly decreased at 3:00 pm. The level of air
humidity measured in percent also varies relatively from 75% in the morning (7:00 am) to 65% at noon 1:00
am, and then slightly increased in the afternoon (66%). Results of temperature and humidity testing in
agrivoltaic are shown in Table 3. In Table 3, the temperature and humidity measurements are at stable and
normal conditions. The sensor works well where the temperature increases and humidity decreases so that the
agrivoltaic technology is stable and can operate efficiently.
segmentation results, and classification results. Figure 3 is the entire GUI system built based on the neural
network method. Then Figure 3(a) chili fruit testing classification system based on GUI which will be
compressed using neural network method, Figure 3(b) is image data that when inputting ripe chili fruit will
display the classification of ripe chili fruit, in Figure 3(c) testing raw chili fruit whose data is obtained based
on the image of green chili fruit with raw category and the last Figure 3(d) is the testing of rotten chili fruit so
that farmers will later find it easy to sort chili fruit. The system that will be used uses a neural network
method whose entire data has been input into a computer program with 2 input neurons, 2 hidden layers, and
1 output neuron with 10 and 5 neurons respectively. This structure is used to process input data and produce
the desired output after going through several levels of processing.
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Figure 3. GUI system built based on neural network method (a) chili fruit testing classification system
based on GUI, (b) ripe chili fruit testing, (c) raw chili fruit testing, and (d) rotten chili fruit testing
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3.1.2. The results of the regression graph test on the neural network model on chili fruit data
The test results are in the form of a regression plot of the performance of the artificial neural
network model in predicting data during the training, validation, and testing processes. This diagram can be
used to evaluate how close the model's output predictions are to the actual target values (targets) shown in
Figure 5. The result data in Figure 5 shows the performance of the neural network method has a very good
performance model on the value of the training and validation data programmed. Then there are 4 target
graphs, namely the blue graph where the fit graph value with the R value reaches 0.9 which means it is close
to the value of 1, thus the model is very suitable for the training data. The green validation diagram shows the
suitability of the model with valid data. Next is the red target graph, which shows the relationship between
model predictions and test data targets, and finally the gray graph, which shows the overall suitability of the
model to all data (training, validation, and testing).
4. CONCLUSION
The integration of agrivoltaic technology with the development of the IoT system will have an
impact on farmers, especially chili farmers, in modern farming. Farmers can control and add vitamins,
fertilizers, and water quality based on a control system that has been programmed with the IoT system. Plants
are then given nutrients and watered automatically and regularly according to a real-time clock schedule.
This system is also equipped with a PV energy source (PV-off grid), so that water circulation through the
pump machine is never interrupted. The development of a small smart camera model was also developed to
Design of agrivoltaic system with internet of things control for chili fruit classification … (Wanayumini)
182 ISSN: 2089-4864
monitor chilies in taking pictures. This image is then converted for segmentation using a GUI that has been
programmed with MATLAB software. The method used in this chili fruit classification uses an artificial
neural network in classifying ripe, raw, and rotten chilies. The system to be used uses an artificial neural
network method whose entire data has been input into a computer program with 2 input neurons, 2 hidden
layers and 1 output neuron consisting of 10 and 5 neurons respectively. This structure is used to process input
data and produce output with the desired accuracy after going through several levels of processing. The
classification results obtained an R value of 0.9, which means it is close to a value of 1 in the suitability of
the chili image. Thus, farmers will find it easier to sort the chilies to be harvested.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author would like to thank Asahan University for the Internal Grant Scientific Paper Publication
Assistance Programbased on Guidebook No. 103/KPTS-UNA/YEAR 2024. We would also like to thank
Universitas Medan Area for supporting this research. And research collaboration with Universitas Potensi
Utama.
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Design of agrivoltaic system with internet of things control for chili fruit classification … (Wanayumini)