SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM FOR CURING BURLEY TOBACCO.

In a solar collector-rock bed system for curing burley tobacco the insulated rock bed supplied enough heat to reduce the relative humidity of the air in the curing chambers by 12 to 17 percent as compared to a conventional chamber. The uninsulated rock bed reduced the relative humidity by 5 to 10 percent. At present prices, a solar collector rock bed system cannot economically compete with fossil fuel systems for curing stalk-cut burley tobacco. To be economically competitive, solar energy systems for the farm will probably need to be multi-purpose.