Moving from Time-Based to Smart Irrigation of Green Areas

The challenge

Irrigation of Kibbutz Saar’s green areas was carried out by a simple, time-based control system, offering limited control and no performance monitoring or data traceability. Irrigation took place at night, while the irrigation manager was offsite, allowing for irregular events to go undiscovered until his return. 

The Solution

Recently, Kibbutz Saar decided to streamline its water use and mitigate any damage that may arise from possible system faults by installing BERMAD’s cloud-connected smart irrigation system. Installing the OMEGA system enabled the gardener to gain to access to water flow and quantity readings, real-time alert notification, automated control response and manual operation of the system, to override the programmed irrigation plan, if needed. In addition, the system collects and stores current and historical data, all of which are easily accessible on the cloud.

For the first phase of the project, BERMAD’s team installed OMEGA controllers on 11 irrigation system heads. Each irrigation head manages three to five valves, including the main valve; a water meter with pulse output; and a power source (solar or grid) for online operation. The irrigation programming wasn’t changed, to enable the collection of initial data prior to applying advanced control features.

What’s in it for the customer?

The implementation of OMEGA cloud-based controllers has already proven its value to the kibbutz. The ability to remotely monitor and control the irrigation system 24/7 has led to quick detection and repair of a number of faults that would have previously gone unnoticed.

Kibbutz Saar now plans to implement tighter control over working flow ranges and introduce leak control to halt irrigation in the event of failures. The kibbutz will also use the system to optimize irrigation plans according to the needs of each crop during seasonal changes, thereby saving water while providing optimal conditions for its crops.