Review on Performance Evaluation of Solar Photovoltaic Based Hybrid Drying Systems

Abstract

Drying is an energy-intensive operation that requires thermal energy to lower the moisture content of farm produce to a safe level for long - term preservation. In the past drying in open air has been utilised for this purposes, but has a number of drawbacks, including the need for a bigger drying area, longer drying periods, and quality degradation owing to a range of factors such as hostile weather conditions, dust pollution, and insect infestations. Hence conventional dryers based on fossil fuels are widely preferred. Nowadays, fossil fuels are priced high, and their burning contributes to global warming. In this scenario, Solar Photovoltaic based hybrid Drying systems are emerging as an alternative solution. The current review is an in-depth examination of the numerous experimental and theoretical studies performed to assess the effectiveness of such drying systems. The findings from the study shows that the solar photovoltaic based hybrid drying systems outperform drying in open air and are equivalent to conventional dryers.

Keywords: Solar photovoltaic, fossil fuel, conventional dryers, Hybrid drying systems, PV/T collector