Decarbonization Avenue : Low & medium temperature solar thermal

Challenges

Low throughput and long drying times of solar dryers

Solar dryers provide a simple avenue for low cost, low carbon drying for agricultural produce, but most solar dryers have low throughput and long drying times, making its large scale use challenging for these applications.


Relevant for

  • Product design engineer
  • Operations & maintenance professional
  • Solar power professional

Innovation sector

  • Renewable energy sciences

Other Challenges

Lack of awareness of solar thermal applications

Competition from low natural gas prices

Ineffective policies and incentives

No significant cost decreases for solar thermal systems

Competition from heat pumps

Low throughput and long drying times of solar dryers

High cost of active solar dryers

Performance challenges with solar cookers

Timing challenge with solar cookers

Stakeholders

  • University researcher