Solar Fruit and Vegetable Dryers
Fresh produce spoils quickly in tropical Caribbean climates, leading to times of surplus and times of scarcity.
Preserving the harvest
Solar dryers can provide a convenient and energy efficient way for Haitians to preserve extra fruit and vegetables. Dry foods can also be sold year round as an extra source of income.
Our design
The OceansWatch solar dryers will be based on plans given to Donna by a local craftsman during her visit to Haiti in 2011. They consist of a black angled rampway covered with glass or clear plastic, and a series of mesh trays to hold the food underneath.
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At the top of the rampway is a rectangular box that accomodates the mesh trays that will hold the fruit with an air vent at the top to allow warm air to flow. Air enters the ramp at the bottom, is heated and naturally rises into the box holding the trays. There is also a design which has the 'vent' at the bottom where moist air is forced. Either way, fruits and vegetables dry quickly in the warm breeze created by convection.
The photo below shows a dryer that actually has shelves for the mesh trays in the ramp allowing air to flow from the bottom to the top drying the fruit, a simple and moveable design.