Fernández et al. (2026) Measurement of Soil Moisture Using Capacitance Measurements: Development of a Low-Cost Device for Environmental and Very-Low-Enthalpy Geothermal Energy Applications

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Identification

• Journal: Electronics
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-03-31
• Authors: Joaquín del Pino Fernández, Miguel A. Martínez Bohórquez, José Manuel Andújar Márquez, M. Garcia Prieto, J. Córdoba Gómez
• DOI: 10.3390/electronics15071453

Research Groups

Not explicitly mentioned in the provided text, but the work implies an engineering or sensor development group focused on environmental monitoring and energy applications.

Short Summary

This paper presents a novel low-cost capacitive soil moisture sensor with optimized interdigitated electrodes and a protective dielectric coating, demonstrating high sensitivity and precision for applications in very-low-enthalpy geothermal energy, agriculture, and environmental monitoring.

Objective

• To develop a low-cost, robust, and precise capacitive soil moisture sensor suitable for continuous monitoring in various applications, particularly for optimizing very-low-enthalpy geothermal energy (VLEGE) facilities and agricultural irrigation.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Point measurement of soil moisture at the sensor's location.
• Temporal Scale: Designed for continuous, long-term monitoring networks.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: An integrated microcontroller-based signal-conditioning stage converts capacitance variations into direct estimates of soil water content, calibrated using gravimetric measurements.
• Data sources: Gravimetric measurements were used for sensor calibration. The developed sensor itself generates capacitance data, which is then converted to soil water content.

Main Results

• A low-cost capacitive soil moisture sensor was developed, featuring optimized interdigitated electrodes and a controlled dielectric coating for mechanical and electrical stability.
• The sensor integrates capacitance acquisition and gravimetric calibration, converting capacitance variations into direct estimates of soil water content via an embedded microcontroller.
• The developed device is robust, reliable, readily reproducible, and offers excellent sensitivity and precision.
• Its low cost (approximately 50 EUR for manual manufacturing) makes it ideal for setting up continuous monitoring networks in very-low-enthalpy geothermal energy installations, agriculture, and environmental monitoring.

Contributions

• Presents a novel, validated integration of optimized interdigitated electrode design, dielectric protection, embedded capacitance acquisition, and gravimetric calibration into a single low-cost soil water content measurement device.
• Offers an accessible and efficient solution for dynamic soil moisture tracking, which is crucial for ensuring stable long-term performance in very-low-enthalpy geothermal energy installations.
• Provides a robust, reliable, and reproducible low-cost sensor suitable for broad applications in environmental monitoring and agriculture.

Funding

Not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Fernández2026Measurement,
  author = {Fernández, Joaquín del Pino and Bohórquez, Miguel A. Martínez and Márquez, José Manuel Andújar and Prieto, M. Garcia and Gómez, J. Córdoba},
  title = {Measurement of Soil Moisture Using Capacitance Measurements: Development of a Low-Cost Device for Environmental and Very-Low-Enthalpy Geothermal Energy Applications},
  journal = {Electronics},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.3390/electronics15071453},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics15071453}
}