Abstract
Fruits and berries require due to their perishable nature specific storage conditions. During harvest season, products are stored in large quantities within the storage, resulting in high peak power requirements of the refrigeration system to maintain the setpoint temperature. Furthermore, the energy consumption is dependent on the type of system and their operational procedures. The present study showcases the specific energy consumption (SEC) of four Norwegian fruit and berry cold storages, with annual production volumes of 500 – 7000 ton/year. The SEC varies greatly between the factories due to the annual production volume, product types, frozen vs. fresh storage, equipment and operational procedures. Values of the overall SEC are found in the range between 85 – 512 kWh/ton of processed product and year. Additionally, waste from plum production is measured to be within 6 – 18.5% of the total production across the factories and years and the temperature and rel. humidity profile during storage is showcased.