Design and Analysis of Simple, Low-Cost Solar Dryers for Rural Applications: An Integrated Review

Engineering notes

Engineering notes will be added by the Power for Solar editorial team.

Chinese explanation / 中文解读

中文解读待补充：本站会优先为光伏效率、钙钛矿太阳能电池、储能技术、太阳能热利用、BIPV、并网技术等高价值论文补充中文说明。

Original abstract

Simple, low-cost solar dryers can reduce post-harvest losses, improving product quality and increasing rural incomes by using locally available materials and renewable solar energy. This paper synthesises the experimental, numerical, and techno-economic literature on solar drying technologies, with a special focus on rural applications and simple constructions. The review includes optimised collector geometries, such as V-groove and V-corrugated collectors, double-pass systems, and finned absorbers, as well as natural and forced convection systems, sensible and latent thermal storage (phase change materials, PCMs), and protection and usability features. Reported results show high thermal efficiencies for advanced solar air collectors, significant reductions in drying time when PCMs or conduction enhancement are used, and favourable energy and economic performance for well-designed systems. The discussion relates such technical findings to implementation realities using design-oriented guidelines for the utilisation of solar thermal energy in rural areas.

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