Drying is considered one of the industrial processes that requires more energy than other processes, being a topic of much interest to the agricultural sector, especially the evaluation of energy consumption for rice and corn dryers. To meet this goal, an overview survey matrix and protocols for temperature measurements of dryers were developed. The study evaluated 49 rice dryers and 14 yellow corn dryers. As a result, it was determined that the oversizing of the fan/extractor and the dryer engine generates a high energy consumption, added to the lack of insulation in the heat ducts. Therefore, the drying productivity index is very low in dryers using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) being 0.14 dollar/quintal for rice and 0.27 dollar/quintal for corn and using biomass reaches 1.4 dollars/quintal. In relation to energy losses, these account for more than 55%. Inadequate energy management in drying processes directly influences the marketing chain of products, the losses of which are caused by fluctuations in the price of rice and corn on the domestic market, with the agricultural sector having to generate an energy efficiency plan.

The process of drying at the agroindustry level is considered the most important stage for the storage and conservation of food, but an inadequate sizing of the systems can generate an excessive consumption of fuel and energy. In the case of the agricultural sector, especially in small and medium producers in Ecuador, they tend to dry cereals outdoors, spreading the product over black plastics, asphalt floors, or cements called “tendal”. This process depends on the weather conditions of the area and can take between one or four days of drying, tending to damage the product by fungi. On the other hand, certain producers build dryers empirically, using as the main fuel gas for domestic use, diesel, or firewood. Among the problems presented for these types of dryers are heat losses in the drying chamber as it is not thermally insolated, a lack of temperature control (above 60 °C) and drying speed, excessive fuel use, and 10% burned product, which are essential to control to obtain a quality product and savings in the energy consumption of the dryer. With regard to the problem raised above, the design and construction of a hybrid dryer that worked with 80% of thermal solar and low enthalpy aerogeothermal energy and 20% with electric power was conducted to optimize the drying process and ensure a quality dry product. The work proposes the dimensioning of each component of the dryer. As a result, it was found that the efficiency of the equipment was around 60%, reaching a maximum operating temperature of 52 °C, with a stabilization time of the system in the first hour within 40 min. It should be noted that the design of the prototype is easy to adapt and replicate.

Within the city of Guayaquil, the Protector Prosperina Forest is located, which protects an area rich in biodiversity. To prevent visitors from damaging the forest, the Polytechnic community has established a tourism intervention plan based on sustainability criteria, generating responsible and ecological tourism. Therefore, the project aims to improvement of spaces, signage, and construction of energy systems using renewable energy for lighting and loading of electronic devices, will also, serve as logistical technical support for the operation of the sensor network and information acquisition for the monitoring of diversity forest through audio and video, especially for the protection of those species that are in danger of extinction. In this initiative to raise awareness and promote the protection of the forest and the sustainable use of its resources, autonomous photovoltaic stations have been installed in 5 strategic locations for the development of the aforementioned activities.

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