What is the RIC system?
IT IS AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM BASED ON THE SYNERGY BETWEEN HARPO VERDEPENSILE AND AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES, MODIFYING THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO IRRIGATION.
DUE TO THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, THE DISSEMINATION AND EXTENSIVE APPLICATION OF NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS IN URBAN CONTEXTS HAS BECOME CRITICALLY IMPORTANT. AT THE SAME TIME, THERE IS A NEED TO REDUCE WATER CONSUMPTION.
THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE OF HARPO VERDEPENSILE SYSTEMS, ALSO IN TERMS OF WATER AVAILABILITY FOR VEGETATION, HAS BEEN THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INNOVATIVE CONTROLLER THAT OVERTURNS THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO IRRIGATION, IN WHICH DURATION, QUANTITY OF WATER, AND FREQUENCY ARE SUBJECTIVELY ESTABLISHED AND PRE-SET BY THE GARDENER BASED ON THEIR EXPERIENCE AND SENSITIVITY.
PICTURE TRANSLATION:
Advantages
Actual Water Saving
- Water needs can be reduced by 60% during the summer period because the system increases rainwater retention and automation technologies control the plant’s water needs.
Greater Plant Health
- Less runoff retains nutrients and plants – deprived of free water – remain in a state of slight stress that increases robustness and resistance.
Working for the gardener and maintenance worker
- The competence of the applicator and the adaptive RIC system become a guarantee of exceptional performance over time.
Design benefits and economic advantages
- The system enables the maintenance of the water balance of the territory, allowing the optimization of construction details and storage chambers.
The MediWaterSafe 4.0 controller is equipped with specific hardware and software designed and created by Harpo’s research and development department. The device is completed with water and temperature sensors that are placed in contact with the Harpo substrate, TerraMediterranea.
This creates an adaptive system capable of autonomously managing water needs, activating irrigation only when necessary.
Gardener supervision remains recommended, as they are able to constantly monitor irrigation modes and soil conditions, even remotely.
The advantages of the RIC system are numerous:
● Water saving. Research conducted at the University of Trieste has shown a 60% reduction in water supplied during the summer period compared to a traditional system.
● Better use of rainwater. The system is always subsaturated and therefore able to store a lot of rainwater, which is not wasted, as commonly happens in traditional management, where the soil is kept closer to the saturation point than necessary.
● Better nutrient management. Less runoff results in a greater ability to retain nutrients.
● Greater plant health. Plants are kept in a state of slight stress, which increases their robustness and resistance.
● Significant impact on hydraulic invariance. An increase in time is obtained before discharging excess water into the collectors.