Traditional solar fruit drying is often a slow process impeded by the
high humidity, haze, and intermittent clouds experienced in tropical
regions. In sunny, arid places, solar crop drying is a relatively simple
process, and can often be accomplished without the need for a solar
dryer. The warm, dry air's high capacity to take on moisture quickly
removes moisture from fruits. Although simply exposing fruits to direct
sunlight will often be sufficient for drying, crop dryers are often utilized
to protect fruits from dirt, insects, and contamination. In humid, tropical
climates, however, drying can be impeded (Forson et al., 2007). With
the humid air's reduced capacity to absorb moisture from the drying
fruits, using a solar crop dryer coupled with a solar concentrator helps
to improve the drying rate by increasing internal dryer temperature
and radiation