Solar Crop Drying

Solar dryers require a certain investment for the set-up of the appliance, but no expenditures for the fuel. The basic function of a solar dryer is to heat air to a constant temperature with solar energy, which facilitates extraction of humidity from crops inside a drying chamber. Ventilation is enabled at a constant rate through defined air inlets and outlets, small solar ventilators or temperature difference, either due to exposition or vertical height. In direct sun driers the food is put in boxes with a transparent lid. Additionally, the temperature in the drier is raised due to the greenhouse effect and the air exchange is regulated by vents. The food is not exposed to direct sunlight in indirect sun driers as the fresh air is heated separately from the food chamber. This method is preferable for drying foods which loose nutritional value when exposed to direct sunlight. Hybrid driers combine solar energy with a fossil fuel or biomass fuel (Green and Schwarz, 2001a).