John Deere Green Tech, a provider of technical expertise and field engineering for irrigation control equipment, won the Irrigation Association’s 2008 New Product Award in November. Presented at the Irrigation Association Show in Anaheim, Calif., the award honors the newest, most innovative products and services in four categories: specialty, golf, agriculture, and turf and landscape.
Taking top honors in the specialty category, John Deere Green Tech’s MHG™ (Micro Hydroelectric Generator) is an electric power supply system. The generator provides a cost-effective alternative to expensive utility-metered power and less reliable solar power.
The MHG produces electricity from water flowing through pipes, yielding enough energy to power a complete irrigation controller system, including a central system and its valves, sensors and communication equipment. The generator is also capable of supplying other electrical devices such as low-power lighting, remote data logging or SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems.
As added assurance, the MHG incorporates a small solar-power backup system for extended periods of non-irrigation. The solar power is used to power the system’s electronics when the hydroelectric turbine is not in use.
The MHG’s patent-pending design also sustains downstream flow with minimal pressure loss – a critical component to the generator.
The award-winning product was developed by Craig Burris, research and development manager, John Deere Green Tech. Burris received the award at the Irrigation Association Show on behalf of the entire MHG team.
“We’re very proud of this award – and even prouder of the revolutionary solution we’ve developed,” says Burris. “With its multiple design variations, the MHG will serve many applications in a wide range of industries. The basic concept for the generator may be more than 200 years old, but John Deere Green Tech is refining it, perfecting it and making it available to professionals who need a better way to power irrigation systems.”