Solar energy is the natural resource of energy. Solar energy is rapidly advancing as an important means of renewable energy resource. The Sun is the source of all energy. The energy obtained from the sun is the most promising renewable energy sources since it is clean, safe and free. Solar power is the technology of obtaining usable energy from the light of the sun. Solar energy has been used in many traditional technologies for centuries and has come into widespread use. Applications of solar energy are commercially available and are used by millions of people in various parts of the world. One of the promising areas of the applications of solar energy is solar air heater. Solar air heaters are used for drying and space heating. Cultivation is one of the important occupations for the livelihood of the people in villages. Grapes, Tea, Cardamom, Pepper, and Coffee are mainly cultivated in Theni District in Tamilnadu, India. Drying the products in a hygienic manner is one of the important processes in agriculture. Hence a novel solar air heater was designed and a study on thermal efficiency of the air heater by varying the material of the collectors was performed.

Key words: Solar heaters, space heating, drying, collectors