Computational Tool for the Energy Performance Assessment of Horticultural Industries Case Study of Industries in the Centre Inner Region of Portugal

Food processing and conservation represent decisive factors for the sustainability of the planet given the significant growth of the world population in the last decades. Therefore, the cooling of any food products has been subject of study and improvement in order to ensure the food supply with good quality and safety. A computational tool for the assessment of the energy performance of agrifood industries that use refrigeration systems was developed. It aims to promote the improvement of the energy efficiency of this industrial sector. The computational tool for analysis of the energy profile is based on a set of characteristic parameters used for the development of correlations, including the amount of raw material, annual energy consumption and volume of cold stores. In this paper, the developed computational tool was applied to companies in the horticultural sector, specifically to resale-type companies. The results obtained help on the decision making of practice measures for the improvement of the energy efficiency.