Sol Chip and Netafim collaborate to develop unique maintenance-free crop monitoring solution

Sol Chip, a leader in solar-energy powering of electronic and mobile devices, and Netafim, the global leader in drip and micro-irrigation solutions, announced recently the signing of an MOU for the joint development of a hybrid, maintenance-free crop monitoring system. The solution will virtually eliminate the need to carry out maintenance on the battery-operated system, thereby increasing grower profitability.

The innovative system will be powered by Sol Chip Pak (SCP™), a unique hybrid power solution that harvests light energy in order to power billions of individual appliances. Based on a patented IP, SCP integrates all required components into a single unit to supply continuous and sustainable light energy for 24/7 operations. Sol Chip's technology utilizes a low-cost manufacturing flow, thereby increasing overall efficiency and decreasing design complexity, while reducing operation costs by 60%.

The joint crop monitoring system is anchored by Netafim's rSense, a comprehensive solution enabling growers to achieve better and higher yields, while cutting resource use and costs. The advanced solution leverages market-leading technological and agricultural know-how, as well as 50 years of industry experience. Featuring a wide range of sensors, reliable wireless communications, and user-friendly monitoring software, rSense combined with SCP™ represents the industry's first maintenance-free crop monitoring solution.

"We highly value our cooperation with Netafim, which is at the cutting edge of the drip irrigation industry," said Dr. Shani Keysar, Sol Chip Founder & CEO. "The combination of rSense and power autonomy offered by our harvesting technology will enable development of a new line of precision agriculture applications. The joint solution shows how fast and easy our Sol Chip Pak integrates into existing systems. Once completed, the application will work continuously without the need for maintenance, saving growers both time and money."

"We're quite excited about integrating our remote monitoring units with Sol Chip's SCP™", said Lior Doron, Netafim's Director of Crop Management Technology. "We are always searching for innovative green energy technologies that can be embedded into our products. By cooperating with Sol Chip, we can deliver benefits both to the environment and to growers on a daily basis."