Sustainability and performance analysis of a solar and wind energy assisted hybrid dryer

Abstract

In this study, energy, exergy and sustainability analysis of the solar and wind energy assisted hybrid drying system were discussed. The drying process was carried out by solar dryer. Wind energy was used to provide the electrical energy required for the operation of the fan in the drying unit. So, no external energy source was required for the drying process. The main purpose of the study was to contribute to the development of an economical and environmentally friendly drying system that was operated using only two different renewable energy sources. The drying characteristics of banana slices were determined in the experiments. It was found that the exergy efficiency of the dryer was in the range of 68.04–83.89%, as a result of the experiments. The system was also examined in terms of waste exergy rate, improvement potential and environmental sustainability. The evaluations showed that the hybrid dryer had 57.7% and 21.52% higher exergy efficiency compared to other conventional solar dryers and solar assisted- hybrid dryers, respectively. Moreover, the energy payback period was determined as 1.36 years. This result clearly indicated that the system can recover the energy it consumed in approximately 38.18% shorter time compared to other solar dryers.