Computational Tool for the Analysis of the Energy Performance of Cold Storage Systems in the Wine Industry

Abstract The food and beverage industry is the largest and most dynamic manufacturing sector of the European Union. However, due to the present restraints and concerns related to energy consumption, it requires the replacement of energy-intensive processes and systems by novel efficient ones. The major energy consumption is related to heating, cooling and drying processes, and electrical drive systems. The wine industry is part of this sector. The wine is an ancient alcoholic beverage produced by full or partial fermentation of fresh grapes (freshly pressed) or “must” of fresh grapes. This chapter provides a detailed overview on the wine production process, focusing on the energy consumption related to procedures, systems, and devices. Making use of a computational tool, energy-saving opportunities are predicted and tailored energy-saving measures for the sector are described. The results of the computational tool are based on a set of characteristic parameters used in correlations obtained by energy audits in a sample of 48 Portuguese wineries. Best practices and measures for energy efficiency improvement are discussed that ultimately may improve the competitiveness and sustainability of wine companies.