"We are talking about saving hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for farmers," using the existing wired system, said Stoner. The existing sensors have to be connected to a power source to take readings and transmit them over commercial cell phone towers. Stoner hopes that future sensors can be equipped with batteries, solar panels or even piezoelectric generators to generate the power necessary to run the sensors and transmitters. Adding more sensors across wider areas will enable more detailed management of farms, saving farmers even more, says Stoner. Water in the western United States might be relatively cheap, but the electric bills to pump the water from underground aquifers do add up. And there is no guarantee that the water will remain cheap either. Being sustainable could end up being good business. "We can't be sustainable just in outer space," said Seelig. "That same principle has to be applied here on Earth as well." Related Links: |
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