Investigating Transformative Energy Productivity Improvement in the Food Systems Value Chain

Project Member(s): Trianni, A., Hasan, A., Edwards, M.

Funding or Partner Organisation: Race for 2030 Limited (Race for 2030 Limited CRC)
Race for 2030 Limited (Race for 2030 Limited CRC)

Start year: 2022

Summary: There are large opportunities for energy, material and productivity gains across stages in value chains. These gains are generally not clearly visible to the players at each stage of the process, each of which tend to sub-optimise based on their local objectives, without a clear view of the specific ultimate service delivered to the customer. By improving this visibility, insights can be gained about new technologies and business (including financing) models that could substantially improve energy productivity across chains. Systems thinking is key to identifying and tapping new value potential. This theme considers energy use by process, defining the energy efficiency and/or productivity of the end use product or service—in other words via value chains. Value chains are “the series of activities involved in delivering useful products and services, through transforming major raw inputs, with economic value being added at each step” (A2EP, 2017). The B1 Opportunity Assessment surveyed energy use and productivity across seven key industry sectors of the Australian economy: data, education, food, health, infrastructure, shelter and water. The Opportunity Assessment identified two priority value chains for further investigation—food and shelter.

Publications:

Trianni, A, Bennett, N, Cantley-Smith, R, Cheng, C-T, Dunstall, S, Hasan, ASMM, Katic, M, Leak, J, Lindsay, D, Pears, A, Wheatland, FT, White, S & Zeichner, F 1970, 'Industry 4.0 for Energy Productivity: Insights and Future Perspective for Australia', Springer Nature Switzerland, pp. 547-554.
View/Download from: Publisher's site

FOR Codes: Industrial engineering, Supply chains, Industrial energy efficiency