TECHNICO-ECONOMICAL FEASIBILITY OF SOLAR-ASSISTED VIRGINIA TOBACCO CURING

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Abstract
The technical and economical feasibility of using solar energy for curing Virginia tobacco in the bulk barn is investigated. The results illustrate that the energy saving obtained by each type of the system studied is limited because of the nature of the tobacco curing energy requirement. From the technical point of view, the system using water as a heat transfer fluid with an evacuated solar collector shows the best performance. To be economically competitive, the systems need to be multi-purpose: for example, they can be used for space and water heating or for drying other crops during the off-season for tobacco.