Model cooling loads, storage demand, and transport energy. Track spoilage, renewable share, and delivered intensity. Reveal hotspots for smarter agricultural cold chain planning today.
Use your own measured values, engineering estimates, or supplier data.
1. Pre-cooling energy = Produce mass (ton) × Pre-cooling intensity
2. Storage energy = Storage days × Cold room daily energy
3. Transport energy = Produce mass (ton) × Distance × Transport intensity
4. Handling energy = Produce mass (kg) × Handling energy per kg
5. Packaging energy = Produce mass (kg) × Packaging energy per kg
6. Gross chain energy = Sum of all stage energies
7. Net grid energy = Gross chain energy × (1 − Renewable share)
8. Delivered mass = Input mass × (1 − Loss rate)
9. Delivered energy intensity = Gross chain energy ÷ Delivered mass
10. Emissions = Net grid energy × Grid emission factor
11. Energy cost = Net grid energy × Electricity rate
This structure separates physical energy demand from purchased grid energy. That distinction helps when renewable electricity, solar cold rooms, or hybrid systems offset a share of the energy supply.
| Input Variable | Example Value | Unit | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Produce mass entering chain | 12,000 | kg | Total produce handled in one cold-chain flow. |
| Pre-cooling intensity | 28 | kWh/ton | Energy used to remove field heat before storage. |
| Storage duration | 4 | days | Average refrigerated storage time. |
| Cold room energy use | 185 | kWh/day | Average daily refrigeration demand. |
| Transport distance | 420 | km | Refrigerated route distance to market or hub. |
| Transport intensity | 0.22 | kWh/ton-km | Energy demand of reefer movement. |
| Handling energy | 0.018 | kWh/kg | Sorting, loading, and warehouse handling energy. |
| Packaging energy | 0.035 | kWh/kg | Crates, liners, and packaging preparation energy. |
| Loss rate | 7 | % | Estimated spoilage during the chain. |
| Renewable share | 20 | % | Energy share supplied by renewables. |
| Grid emission factor | 0.62 | kg CO₂e/kWh | Electricity carbon intensity. |
| Electricity rate | 0.16 | per kWh | Unit energy price for operating cost. |
Using these example values gives a gross chain energy near 2,820.80 kWh and a delivered intensity near 0.2528 kWh/kg.
It estimates energy used by pre-cooling, cold storage, reefer transport, handling, and packaging for one produce flow. It also reports delivered-mass intensity, emissions, and operating cost using your assumptions.
Spoilage reduces delivered saleable mass. The same chain energy spread over fewer delivered kilograms raises energy intensity, which better reflects real cold-chain performance.
No. Renewable share lowers net purchased grid energy and associated emissions, but gross chain energy still represents the operational demand of the system.
Yes, if you enter suitable stage energies and distances. The calculator is product-agnostic, but assumptions must match the commodity, packaging, and logistics design.
Use measured or vendor data when possible. If unavailable, estimate kWh per ton-kilometer from fuel, power, or refrigeration records for your refrigerated vehicle.
Losses shrink the mass actually delivered. When spoilage rises, the same total energy is divided by fewer kilograms, so delivered intensity increases.
This version treats entered daily storage energy as a known load. If your room load changes strongly with mass, estimate a separate daily value for each scenario.
Not fully. It focuses on operational cold-chain energy, packaging energy, cost, and electricity-linked emissions. Farm production, embodied equipment impacts, and retail refrigeration can be added separately.
Important Note: All the Calculators listed in this site are for educational purpose only and we do not guarentee the accuracy of results. Please do consult with other sources as well.