Abstract: The Direct solar drying system has the advantages of simple structure, easy manufacturing, and portability, and has been widely used worldwide. However, due to direct exposure to strong light radiation, the surface of the material is prone to overheating, and direct solar drying has the problem of poor drying quality. To solve this problem, the current mainstream approach is to use mechanical ventilation to reduce air temperature and install shade mesh. While the use of shade mesh can reduce the impact of excessive light on materials, it also reduces the available solar energy. In addition, ventilation equipment is typically powered by photovoltaic cells. Although these cells directly convert light into electricity, they do not fully utilize solar energy. Due to the limitation of the bandgap width of semiconductor materials, most of the solar radiation energy is converted into heat energy and directly dissipated, which cannot be effectively utilized for drying. Overall, the comprehensive utilization rate of solar energy in drying systems is relatively low. In order to improve the utilization rate of solar energy in the system while maintaining the quality of drying materials. In this study, We propose applying spectral splitting technology to direct solar drying, splitting the solar spectrum into two parts at 640 nm. The 280～640 nm band is reflected to the photovoltaic cell for direct power generation, while the 640～2 500 nm band is transmitted to the interior of the drying chamber to raise the temperature of the air. This article designed a direct solar drying system based on spectral splitting technology, and studied the effects of direct solar drying, solar shade drying, and spectral splitting solar drying on the drying time, drying efficiency, color difference, nutritional composition, microstructure, and other qualities of mulberry leaves. Additionally, the electrical performance of the photovoltaic module in the system and the comprehensive utilization rate of solar energy are also studied. The experimental results show that the drying efficiency of direct solar drying (7.93%) is close to that of spectral splitting solar drying (7.84%), both of which are higher than solar shade drying (3.79%); However, due to exposure to intense light and high temperatures, the quality of mulberry leaves dried by direct solar drying is the worst, with a color difference of 24.39, a large loss of nutrients, and significant shrinkage and deformation of epidermal cells; The color difference of mulberry leaves dried by solar shade drying is 12.01, and the color difference of mulberry leaves dried by spectral splitting solar drying is 11.33. Both methods exhibit high retention rates of nutrients and bioactive compounds, along with minimal shrinkage in microstructure. This indicates that both solar shade drying and spectral splitting solar drying enhance mulberry leaf quality. However, the biological effects induced by red light cause mulberry leaves dried by spectral splitting solar drying to outperform mulberry leaves dried by solar shade drying in quality metrics such as color difference and chlorophyll content; The photoelectric conversion efficiency of traditional photovoltaics is only 5.67% due to factors such as temperature rise and light-induced degradation effects, while spectral splitter photovoltaics receive less solar energy, which can overcome the above drawbacks and increase the photoelectric conversion efficiency to 11.47%. Based on comprehensive analysis, the quality of mulberry leaves dried by spectral splitting solar drying is the best, with a solar energy utilization rate of 10.61%. This study provides technical support for improving the quality of solar drying products and increasing the utilization rate of solar energy.