Optimal capacity for sustainable refrigerated storage buildings

Abstract

Widespread construction of cold storage buildings is important to ensure sustainability of the agricultural industry and reduce food loss. However, the number of cold storage buildings in most developing countries is insufficient because of financial difficulties. Currently, the most critical factor for encouraging investors to finance such projects is the payback period. In this study, the power consumption and profitability of cold storage buildings were investigated based on their capacities using data from selected cold stores in Turkey. The optimal storage capacity was calculated by simulation, and the relationship between the payback period and the capacity of cold stores was analysed using the obtained results. It was found that the amount of power consumed per unit volume for stores with capacities from 100 to 2100 t of apples was 63.8% while that from 2100 to 10000 t was 33.3%. Additionally, the optimal cold storage capacity was determined to be 3500 t with a two-year payback period.