Speakers: Dr. Daniel Neuwald and Mr. Felix Büchele The first presentation in the webinar will be "Redefining the cooling load in apple fruit storage" given by Mr. Felix Büchele. Cooling systems in fruit storage are typically designed based on simplified estimations of the heat load during initial cool-down and an arbitrarily chosen optimal duration for heat removal. However, this approach overlooks heat transfer and cool down characteristics of the horticultural product, resulting in overdimensioned cooling systems in commercial storage facilities. The DyNatCool project aims to simulate the transient heat loads during long-term storage of fruit and validate it in large scale storage experiments, for an optimized dimensioning of cooling systems and improved energy efficiency. The second presentation will be given by Dr. Daniel Alexandre Neuwald: "Practical & Cost-Effective Strategies for Enhancing Economic and Ecological Sustainability in Fruit Storage". Long-term storage is an essential tool for farmers to optimize their marketing strategy and provide customers throughout the year with fresh and locally produced fruit. However, as energy prices soar in Germany, the postharvest sector faces substantial economic challenges. Rising costs for storage are not compensated by a similar development in market prices, as farmers are competing with imported and freshly harvested fruit, often produced under cheaper conditions. Traditional recommendations for improved energy efficiency during storage usually involve costly renovations of room structures or installations of new equipment. In his talk, Dr. Neuwald shares practical insights on how even small adjustments in storage management can yield substantial energy savings without breaking the bank.
