Dr Renaldi Renaldi, School of Chemical Engineering, will receive a share of £33 million through the Ayrton Challenge Programme.
Dr Renaldi's project, 'Sustainable Cooling Infrastructure for Fisheries in Indonesia (SCI-FI), aims to develop, deploy, and monitor zero emissions and affordable cooling infrastructure as a cooling hub for small-scale fisheries in Indonesia.
Indonesia, the largest archipelagic country globally, encompasses over 17,000 islands and is the fourth most populous nation on Earth. Fishing is a vital sector, contributing nearly 7% of Indonesian GDP. With a tropic climate averaging an air temperature of 28°C, cold storage is essential to limit food waste and lost economic opportunities through limited storage capabilities.
Today, as much as 95% of the country's fishery production comes from small-scale fishers, equal to approximately 6 million people or 2.5 million households. Furthermore, of the 576 fishing ports in Indonesia, 91% are small-scale operations, yet around 20% of Indonesia's impoverished population hail from fishing households, highlighting systemic challenges.
Current cold storage levels are only sufficient for 500,000 tons of seafood, starkly insufficient for the colossal 20 million tons of fish produced annually. Consequently, Indonesia contends with significant post-harvest losses estimated at 30%.
The hub proposed by the SCI-FI project will provide cooling services vital for fisheries to maintain the quality of the catch on shore, while ice makers will produce ice blocks and slurry for storage onboard fishing boats. The hub will also serve as a focal point in the energy systems of the community or fishing port with renewable energy options such as solar photovoltaic (PV), biogas-driven combined heat and power (CHP), and solar thermal.
Our interdisciplinary project will develop a blueprint to ensure the deployment of such infrastructure can increase cold chain access at affordable cost whilst providing a route to a just and inclusive energy transition in the communities
The £2.8M project will be funded for three years and will see the University of Birmingham partner with Heriot-Watt University and Durham University in the UK and the University of Indonesia, Bali State Polytechnic, and Pattimura University in Indonesia.
Dr Renaldi Renaldi, commented:
“The need for sustainable cooling infrastructure is clear for small-scale fisheries in Indonesia. Our interdisciplinary project will develop a blueprint to ensure the deployment of such infrastructure can increase cold chain access at affordable cost whilst providing a route to a just and inclusive energy transition in the communities.”
The Ayrton Fund is a £1 billion commitment to research and development in clean energy technologies and business models by the UK Government. The Ayrton Challenge Programme has announced funding for thirteen UK research projects addressing urgent global energy and climate challenges through this fund. This interdisciplinary, challenge-led research initiative aims to enable a transformative transition to low-carbon energy systems in developing countries and foster equitable partnerships with in-country researchers. By networking with other initiatives under the wider Ayrton Fund, these projects aim to deliver scalable solutions to energy and climate challenges globally.
Frances Wood, UK Research and Innovation International Director, said:
"The Ayrton Challenge Programme demonstrates the power of research and innovation to address critical global challenges. These projects exemplify how equitable, interdisciplinary collaboration can unlock transformative solutions, ensuring a sustainable and inclusive energy future for all."
Associate Professor in Emerging Cooling Technologies
Profile of Dr Renaldi Renaldi, University of Birmingham
