ShareImproving the energy performance of cold stores
During ICCC2013, J. Evans presented results of surveys and audits which aimed at collecting data on the energy use in various types of cold stores.
During the 2nd IIR Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain in April 2013, J. Evans presented results(1) of internet-based surveys – conducted as part of the ICE-E project – which aimed at collecting data on the energy use in various types of cold stores.
The results obtained from 295 data sets – covering 21 different countries, mainly in the EU – showed a large variability in the performance of cold stores.
The specific energy consumption (SEC, expressed in kWh/m3/year) varied between 4 and 250 (55.8 on average) for chilled stores, 6-240 (69.4) for frozen stores and 23-157 (65.1) for mixed stores.
This demonstrates that there is considerable potential to reduce energy consumption in cold stores. The volume of the cold store was found to have the greatest impact on energy use.
J. Evans also presented results(2) from 28 cold-store audits carried out across Europe. The potential for large energy savings of at minimum 8% and at maximum 72% were identified by optimising use of stores, repairing current equipment and by retrofitting of energy-efficient equipment.
Overall, 54% of energy-saving initiatives had paybacks of under 1 year and 69% had paybacks of under 3 years.
However, the results of this study demonstrate that each cold store must be assessed individually in order to fully optimize performance and maximize energy savings.
(1) Cold store energy performance, J. Evans et al
(2) Improving the energy performance of cold stores, J. Evans et al.
This paper from the 2nd IIR Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain can be downloaded via the IIR’s Fridoc database (free for IIR members within the framework of their quota of free downloads).
The results obtained from 295 data sets – covering 21 different countries, mainly in the EU – showed a large variability in the performance of cold stores.
The specific energy consumption (SEC, expressed in kWh/m3/year) varied between 4 and 250 (55.8 on average) for chilled stores, 6-240 (69.4) for frozen stores and 23-157 (65.1) for mixed stores.
This demonstrates that there is considerable potential to reduce energy consumption in cold stores. The volume of the cold store was found to have the greatest impact on energy use.
J. Evans also presented results(2) from 28 cold-store audits carried out across Europe. The potential for large energy savings of at minimum 8% and at maximum 72% were identified by optimising use of stores, repairing current equipment and by retrofitting of energy-efficient equipment.
Overall, 54% of energy-saving initiatives had paybacks of under 1 year and 69% had paybacks of under 3 years.
However, the results of this study demonstrate that each cold store must be assessed individually in order to fully optimize performance and maximize energy savings.
(1) Cold store energy performance, J. Evans et al
(2) Improving the energy performance of cold stores, J. Evans et al.
This paper from the 2nd IIR Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain can be downloaded via the IIR’s Fridoc database (free for IIR members within the framework of their quota of free downloads).