SolarWall's Solar Drying Adds to both Yield and Bottom Line

As agricultural and other commercial drying operations around the world turn from traditional means of using the sun, to more production-oriented methods, companies are seeking to reduce the additional energy costs that result. Even in established operations, companies are always looking to increase profits by reducing expenses. SolarWall crop and process drying provides an effective solution in both cases.

Each square meter of SolarWall paneling produces the same amount of heat generated by a 500 watt heater. By installing a SolarWall system, burners not only get turned down, they often get turned off completely for extended periods of time.

Every client can tell such a story – and every client is enjoying substantial energy savings. For instance, the Sonoma Herb Exchange in California saves 31 million BTUs annually by displacing 325 gallons of propane that would be needed if fossil fuels were used instead of solar power. Keyawa Orchards, which dries over 12 million lbs. of walnuts every year, enjoys fuel savings of 1,431 million BTUs a year, with corresponding annual cost savings of $13,800. A coffee installation in Costa Rica is enjoying annual savings of 25%. And on it goes. (For more examples, please click here)

Turning off the burners also produces higher yields in many agricultural applications because SolarWall crop drying does not burn or harm crops, which can happen with steam or wood-fired drying. For crops such as tea, coffee, fruit, vegetables, rubber, cocoa beans, nuts, spices, herbs and rice, SolarWall is the ideal choice because the type of heat generated helps to preserve the quality of the produce.

The heat from the SolarWall system is used to dry fire hoses in this LEED Gold Candidate Fire Hall.

SolarWall systems are highly effective and cost-efficient in other process drying and heating applications, too. Dryers need low grade heat sources to heat large volumes of air. Many commercial dryers run on fuels that burn hot; in many cases, more heat is produced than is actually needed and goes to waste. Not so with SolarWall panels. From commercial drying of laundry, to drying woods and manure, to curing leathers, and from heating swimming pools to preheating combustion air for furnaces, SolarWall’s simple solution works without fuel waste, and sometimes without any fuel use at all!

And, obviously, replacing the increasingly expensive natural gas, oil and propane normally required for such heating applications with free solar energy can result in significant savings. In fact, the payback period can be surprisingly short.

As a result, the same technology that lets SolarWall lead the way in using solar energy to heat buildings is now setting solar crop drying and solar process heating standards worldwide for both agricultural and commercial applications.

To find out how you can save money and create your wares in an eco-friendly manner, please call one of our engineers or complete our request information form