Performance Assessment of an Efficient Hybrid Geometry Solar Greenhouse Dryer Using Energy–Exergy–Economic–Environmental Analysis
In the present study, an efficient hybrid geometry solar greenhouse dryer (SGD) was designed and developed in‐house by eliminating the storage constraints inherent in the conventional parabolic SGD. The proposed hybrid configuration incorporates a rectangular bottom section up to a designed height, combined with a parabolic upper structure. The designed geometry significantly increases the volumetric storage capacity while improving solar energy absorption within the drying chamber. The dryer is operated in active mode using an exhaust fan, and the investigations were performed on three crops, that is, potato, tomato, and bitter gourd, and compared with open‐sun drying (OSD). The objective of the present work is to investigate the performance assessment, drying kinetics, energy–exergy, and economic–environmental aspects of the proposed dryer. The selected commodities, potato, tomato, and bitter gourd were dried from initial moisture content (MC) of 85%–6.2%, 93.5%–10%, and 90%–11% within 7, 8, and 7 h, respectively. Whereas, OSD mode takes 12, 13, and 14 h, respectively, for the same MC reduction. The performance assessment reveals that average energy and exergy efficiency were 25.5% and 60%, respectively. The average SEC and SMER values were also measured at 1.93 kWh/kg and 0.61 kg/kWh, respectively, for potato, 1.89 kWh/kg and 0.62 kg/kWh, respectively, for tomato, and 1.66 kWh/kg and 0.73 kg/kWh, respectively, for bitter gourd. Through the economic analysis, the payback period was found to be between 0.73 and 1.09 years. The environmental results reveal that CO 2 mitigation was 17,850.0, 19,134.9, and 18,378.36 kg/year for potato, tomato, and bitter gourd, respectively. The corresponding carbon credits over the 20‐year lifespan of the dryer were ₹298,926, ₹321,402, and ₹309,627, respectively.