Solar dryer and photovoltaic for fish commodities (Case study in fishery community at Kenjeran Surabaya)

Nambangan Perak is one of the fishery community in Kenjeran Surabaya that still dry fish using traditional method. They use direct solar heat from 6:00AM to 5:00PM. In fact, such a fish drying method does not meet the standard of food safety and health requirements according to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), especially the prone-to-disease open-air drying method and disturbance of flies and animal pests (e.g., rodents) during the storage. However, based on the existing conditions, Nambangan Village has the main problem of the lack of business productivity. The conventional process requires stable weather and vast place for the drying process. It is very dependent on the solar, which is about 6 hours in a day. In addition, the village area is filled with traditional fish tray dryers that consequently narrower the village roads. The dryer technology is expected to help the fishery community in fish drying process and to increase its quality. This technology can be used in unfavorable weather, dry or rain, and day or night. This dryer is equipped with solar collectors that can absorb heat from the sun. It is also equipped with photovoltaic as an energy source. This experimental research showed that the dryer and its solar collector reduce the drying time up to 4 hours faster in compared with traditional method. The final moisture content was under 10%, therefore it can be used three times a day. The final moisture content was 3.12% for 3kg bulu ayam fish, 2.07% for 2kg bulu ayam fish, and 1.12% for 2kg bulu menthog fish.