The up-gradation of the conventional indirect mode forced convection solar dryer to Photovoltaic thermal (PVT) based solar dryer is advantageous in terms of energysaving ability, efficiency, self-sufficient design, and ability to work without any additional electrical energy requirement. However, there is a requirement for a comprehensive analysis of the energy, exergy, and environ-economic parameters for developing an efficient and sustainable PVT solar dryer. In this study, a PVT based indirect mode solar dryer has been fabricated and investigated in the environmental conditions of North-East India (Silchar latitude of 24.83°). Experiments were performed to compare the drying characteristics of tomatoes (solanum lycopersicum) under open sun and solar drying conditions. A new mathematical drying model was proposed to predict the drying characteristics of tomato under both the modes of drying. The average PVT dryer efficiency was found to be 34.98%, higher than some of the published works of indirect mode solar dryer conducted under similar experimental conditions. The calculated values of drying effectiveness, collector efficiency factor, coefficient of performance, and heat utilization factor were 1.12-1.58, 0.011-0.029, 0.71, and 0.29, respectively. Furthermore, CO 2 emission, CO 2 mitigation, carbon credit earned parameters were evaluated for 10, 20, and 30 years of system life.