C7ORT' COLLINS, Col. - A Colorado State University engineer has begun work on a project designed to help village farmers in India become more productive by using solar energy to dry their crops. Charles Smith, a civil engineer at the university's Solar Energy Applications Laboratory, is developing plans for a multi purpose solar grain dryer in cooperation with a colleague at Annamaiai University in southern India. The project is financed with a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Scientists at Annamalai University are active in solar energy and rural development. Smith said CSU was selected to participate because of its ex perience in solar energy and developing-countnes* technologi es. said he expects to help HEY GRABN FARMERS... IF YOU NEED ANY OF THE FOLLOWING, CALL US! A CHAIN A BEARINGS Electric. 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He said the project goal i§ jk cheap, easy-to-build solar dryer that would require no electrical back-up system. "A fanner in India might be able to increase productivity by as much as 30 percent with on-farm drying and storage of such crops as rice and various spices. “One spice, cardamom, can bring a very good pnce, but its value as a cash crop is highly dependent on proper drying,” Smith said. He pointed out that rice, spices and other crops in India often are dried inefficiently. On his last visit to India, Smith said, he noted that nee often is dried simply by spreading it on roads. “Obviously, the loss, damage and hygiene problems associated with this practice are numerous,” Smith said. FAN 3 motors- A SPROCKETS 1 AUGER TUBING 13 I J E f O , * BIEO ' SCMA, ' G£ • oas inlet Filter DRYER CLEARANCE SALE LET’S MAKE A DEAL Smith is active in research and development of solar devices for American farmers, but he stressed that developing a solar gram dryer Indian farmers can use will require a different approach. “In the United States, we’re mainly trying to develop energy saving devices. They don’t use much fuel m rural India, so the emphasis there will be on im proving the conditions without introducing dependence on an expensive energy source,” he said. "One assumption of our study is that electricity is too costly or not available in rural Indian villages , where solar devices might be placed. Thus, solar functions must be assisted by gravity flow of air and water, wind, or by muscle power,” Smith said. One purpose of the study is to determine the proper size and configuration of a solar drying unit, but the engineer said he foresees a 200-to 300-square-fool structure that could be built for I7C\l GRAIN SYSTEMS INC. SSI FARM BINS AIRSTREAM Aeration and Drying Equipment INSTALLED VtLE VAPOmZER FOR E FREE GAS FLOW •ROfAHt UNITS) ; ftEE2 STAGE BURNER ■UCTRK IGNITION JROE CYCLE (NO PILOT XRECT DRIVEN CAST kIUMINUMHICH PRESSURE FAN c err circuit mohitor »C CONTROL CENTER 9 TftANSfORTKir PTO GRAIN DRYER \H MODEL 380 s MODEL 580 WE STOCK • CHANNEL LOCK FLOOR • BIN SWEEPS • PIPE SPOUTING • MOISTURE TESTER • MOTORS. BELTS & PULLEYS •• GRAIN CLEANERS • IN BIN STIRRING SYSTEMS • GRAIN SCATTERS Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 26,1981—C23 between $2OO and $5OO. The-solar gram-drying structure would be multi-purpose because a dryer alone would be in operation only at harvests, about 30 to 60 days per year, depending upon the crop and number of harvests, Smith said.. A multi-purpose structure could be used, at other tunes for storage, housing, or other types of shelter. In addition, Smith- said, - solar energy available during _ non drying periods might be used to heat water, thus improving living standards and lowering depen dence upon firewood. ' Smith pointed out that firewood is becoming scarce in many areas of the Third World, including In dia, where it is the main fuel used for cooking and for heating water and homes. Smith said he is optimistic that what he and his colleagues discover in India may be of in terest to solar scientists United States, especially in- formation on how certain materials hold up in various weather conditions, how they react to sunlight and their durability. But, Smith said any solar grain drying structure developed in India probably would not be widely usable in this country. He explained that solar devices in American agriculture currently are limited to a few special cases because it takes from 10 to 25 years for agricultural solar equipment to pay for itself. “Before solar energy is widely used on American farms, cheaper and better solar equipment will have to be developed, oil-prices will have to go considerably higher, or farmers will have to be given tax credits similar to those the federal government and some states offer homeowners to help defray the cost of installing solar equipment,” Smith said. ORDER YOUR FALL SEED GRAINS NOW • Certified Maury Barley • Certified Abe Wheat, • Certified Hart Wheat • Certified Logan Wheat • Certified Roland Wheat • Certified Titan Wheat • Winter Rye * Complete Line of Forage Grasses * Holland Extra Baler Twine * Binder Twine SMOKETOWN, PA PH: 717-299-2571 SADDLE UP! To Better Equipment... Find It In Lancaster Farming's CLASSIFIEDS!
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