A 16-year-old inventor from Dnipro of Ukraine, Kyrylo, has developed a method to enhance plant cultivation in urban "underground farms." His innovative approach optimizes the spectrum of LED lighting, enabling basil to grow on a vertical farm in just 40 days, reducing energy and resource consumption by up to 20%.
Kyrylo's work focuses on refining LED lighting systems to further reduce energy usage and accelerate plant growth:
- Lighting duration could decrease from 12 to 10 hours daily.
- Basil growth cycles would shorten to 37–40 days instead of the traditional 50 days.
- Energy consumption could drop by 15–20%, reducing production costs by 10–15%.
The young scientist conducted his experiments at home and the "Green Future" vertical farm in Dnipro. This farm, founded by Viktor Shuleshko, operates in a basement after its original location near the airport was destroyed by Russian missile strikes. Today, "Green Future" is recognized by Ukrainian restaurateurs and agricultural experts from the UAE, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Kyrylo's project won third place in the All-Ukrainian Youth Science and Technology Contest in the "Sustainable Living Space" category, standing out among 44 participants. However, for Kyrylo, this is only the beginning—he aspires to present his invention on an international stage.
This isn't his first success. Three years ago, Kyrylo created a robot designed to clean space debris, which gained recognition at international conferences in Rome and Castelgrande.
Currently, Kyrylo studies at the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Physics and Mathematics Lyceum-Boarding School and, under the guidance of Tetiana Bulana, a candidate in technical sciences, continues to work on new innovations that could shape the future of agriculture and technology.
Source: nashemisto.dp.ua