Solar Grain Dryer - Team 2020 - 07

Summary of our design

Food waste is an ongoing problem affecting food security across Sub-Saharan Africa and other countries. This is partly because local farmers lack the technologies needed to handle and store fresh produce. To help address this, we designed a solar-powered grain dryer, which aimed to solve issues in the post-harvest handling of grain crops and help farmers avoid food waste due to poor storage conditions. Our design solution uses both direct solar energy and DC power from a battery, connected to photovoltaic cells. This can help dry grain faster and more efficiently. Our grain dryer also uses solar energy to heat the air, which vaporises the water content in the grain, making them dry and suitable for storage. The key features of the solar grain dryer design are the airflow and heating system, which are responsible for air induction and the subsequent heating of air to pre-determined temperatures that vary by grain type. Another key element of the design is the drying chamber in which grainsare placedand heated air is driven through to dry them. The technology we used is easy to use and accessible for local farmers. This can help increase its uptake.

Our experience designing and building the prototype

Making a physical prototype for our project was a tricky venture, as it was the first time that most of us were involved in an initiative of this nature. We learnt many things along the way.

Our design works to address the following SDGs

-SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): It can help reduce the amount of food lost due to inadequate post-harvest processing. -SDG 1 (No Poverty): Our design also aims to help farmers dry grains faster, which can help increase the income that they receive in selling dried produce.