Coolstorage is a fundamental stage in ensuring the resultant quality of the fruit. The energy demand for a coolstore is determined by the requirements to cool the fruit from the temperature at which it was harvested to the desired storage temperature. Then it is important to maintain the fruit at this optimum temperature until the fruit is exported. ZESPRI partnered with Massey University, EMCS Limited and Energy Response to look at ways to make coolstores more energy efficient.
Case Study
The project initially focused on gaining a clear understanding of current practices across the kiwifruit industry. After developing this information platform it is then all about developing tools for future improvement.
The project has been split in the following phases
- Energy Monitoring
- Identification of Energy Saving Initiatives
- Modifications to Equipment
- Analysis of Benefits
- Development of Industry Benchmarks
- Development of an Energy Efficiency Calculator
The ultimate aim of this project is to develop best practice guidelines and tools for the industry to reduce overall energy use in coolstores.
Significant gains have already been made through the monitoring phase of the study. A number of coolstores have reduced their power use by over 10% through modifications of the defrost cycle (removing ice from the coolstore) by changing it from every 6 hours to every 8 hours. This had no impact on fruit quality, but a big impact on energy efficiency.
"By setting an industry standard for best practice, we hope to significantly reduce the amount of energy used by coolstores," says Frank Bollen, Technical Project Manager, ZESPRI.