Feasibility of combined solar cookers and dryers for dual cooking and drying: A systematic review

Dual-purpose cooking and drying systems offer a promising solution for sustainable food preparation and preservation, particularly in regions with abundant solar radiation. This systematic review assesses the current state of technology and knowledge gaps in solar cooker cum dryers, focusing on design configuration, thermal performance, and sustainability relevance. A comprehensive search of the databases yielded 13 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The review highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the design configurations. The findings revealed that these systems can achieve temperatures up to 150 °C, making them suitable for cooking and drying applications, which reduces fuel costs and lowers carbon emissions. Limited work has been done on combined solar cookers and dryers, and most studies use the same unit for both cooking and drying, and very few have separate units. All reviewed studies on solar cookers combined with dryers have employed flat plate collectors with no work on concentrating systems, and most studies are experimental with limited numerical work. Most studies employed the natural convection mode of air circulation, with only a few focusing on forced convection. Additionally, most solar cookers combined with dryers lack energy storage systems, and there is limited work that has been reported on the economic analysis of the combined systems. These findings inform future research and development for sustainable energy solutions, providing insights for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners. This review aims to contribute to the development of efficient and effective combined solar cookers and dryers, ultimately enhancing food security and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.