Solar Grain Dryer

Vaibhav Tidke of the Institute of Chemical Technology in India will develop a mobile solar powered grain dryer to rapidly reduce the moisture content of grains, which extends storage life. Currently, women dry the harvested grains in the sun, which involves tilting and spreading at regular intervals for up to 45 days, taking up time that could be used for other farming tasks. Open sun drying also reduces quality and is less efficient, leading to significant loss of productivity. He has designed a wheel-loaded movable solar grain dryer that can reduce drying times to one day. There are no operating costs, and its mobility means it can be shared between farms thereby reducing capital cost. It is also low maintenance and can be locally fabricated.