A comprehensive review of solar photovoltaic hybrid food drying systems

Demand for all resources, especially food, water, and energy, has increased with the rapid increase in the world population. These resources are limited and not enough for the growing population of the world. Therefore, the food-energy-water nexus approach has gained much attention in recent years. Less energy and water consumption and less waste generation became the target for the more sustainable food production. Qualitative and quantitative losses in agricultural commodities growing in rural areas depend both on the structure of foods and incorrect or inadequate process applied to postharvest operations to preserve food. Therefore, drying is the most preferred food preservation method. To minimize the energy consumption during drying process, renewable energy technologies are emerging as an alternative solution. It reduces dependency of fossil fuels, adds value to agricultural products to meet the increasing demand, and minimizes qualitative and quantitative losses. In this work, theoretical and experimental studies of photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) or photovoltaic (PV) integrated food-drying systems were comprehensively reviewed. The researches covered in this review are classified into three groups: PV module integrated, PV/T collector-assisted food-drying systems, and PV/T-assisted heat pump-drying systems.