SCI-FI: Sustainable Cooling Infrastructure for Fisheries in Indonesia

Context Indonesia is the largest archipelagic country and the fourth most populous country globally, boasting over 17,000 islands located in the tropics with an annual average air temperature of 28 °C. The country is also the second largest fishing nation with 6.7 million tonnes of marine catches and 14.5 million tonnes from aquaculture in 2018, representing nearly 7% of GDP contribution. As much as 95% of the country fishery production is made by small-scale fishers, encompassing approximately 6 million people or 2.5 million households engaged in this vital sector. Furthermore, there are 576 fishing ports in Indonesia and 526 (91%) of them are small-scale operations. Yet around 20% of Indonesia's impoverished population hail from fishing households, highlighting systemic challenges. Many of the communities and ports are without adequate cold storage and ice-making facilities. The current cold storage capacity in Indonesia is only sufficient for 500,000 tons of seafood, starkly insufficient for the colossal 20 million tons of fish produced annually. This shortfall not only leads to extensive food loss due to wasted catch but also constraints economic opportunities due to inability to store catches for longer periods. Consequently, Indonesia contends with significant post-harvest losses estimated at 30%. Aim and Objectives This project aims to develop, deploy, and monitor zero emissions and affordable cooling infrastructure, in the form of a cooling hub, for small-scale fisheries in Indonesia. Research objectives Identify small-scale fishers current and future cooling demand profiles across typical fisheries communities; Develop optimised cooling hub design options that integrates multiple cooling services including cold storage, ice making and other ancillary services; Develop viable business models that ensure affordability and adhere to local context; Understand and mitigate the social impacts of deploying the cooling hub; Assess the environmental sustainability of the cooling hub throughout its life cycle; Develop a blueprint to integrate the cooling hub in wider energy and cooling systems; Co-develop policy interventions that foster sustainable cooling practices. Ayrton Fund Themes and Challenge Areas In addressing this pressing issue, this project aligns with the following two Ayrton themes: lower-cost, flexible clean energy supplies suited to the resources of developing countries. super-efficient demand via innovative services, processes and equipment meeting the needs of poor consumers and enterprises. The project will tackle the following four challenge areas: Sustainable cooling for all Zero emissions generators Energy efficiency Inclusive energy and leave no-one behind Potential applications and benefits Access to robust cooling infrastructure will improve the socioeconomic conditions of small-scale fishers. By ensuring the quality and freshness of their catch, these fishers can command higher prices in the market, thereby bolstering their economic viability. By minimising fish loss, the project plays a key role in curbing the loss of protein and micro-nutrient-rich foods, thereby contributing to efforts to mitigate high rates of malnutrition and harming livelihoods. Furthermore, our project seeks to promote a more inclusive development by actively engaging women and youth in activities with higher economic values. In addition, the integrated cooling service will reduce emissions by using energy efficient equipment and natural refrigerants.