Ken,
Although I do not know what your exact applicaiton is; but both dehumidifiers and air conditioners use about the same amount of electricity. I would think you could use an air conditioner set on med or low to achieve a excellent level of drying while also bringing down the temperature. Just a thought as when I lived in tropical climates without many basements dehumidifiers seem to be unavailable. Another reason, dehumidifiers produce lots of heat, in hot tropical climates this would be a serious negative. AC acomplishes this same drying effect but places the hot air outside. Just my .02