Page 46 - FoodFocusThailand No.238 January-February 2026

SUST
SUSTAINABILITY DRIVENAINABILITY DRIVEN

MODERN CLEAN ENERGY

TECHNOLOGIES TOWARD

THE FUTURE OF A SUSTAINABLE FOOD INDUSTRY

The cold chain is considered the foundation of today’s modern trade system, particularly in the food and
pharmaceutical industries. At the same time, it is one of the most energy-intensive sectors within the logistics
system, accounting for approximately 30% of total logistics energy consumption.¹ This high energy demand,
combined with a heavy reliance on fossil fuels, has resulted in significant environmental impacts, especially
in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. In 2022, the food cold chain emitted greenhouse gases equivalent to
1.32 gigatons of carbon dioxide, representing a twofold increase from 2000 and accounting for 3% of total
global greenhouse gas emissions.²

This article, therefore, aims to present emerging technologies Alternative energy vehicles, such as electric vehicles
that warrant close attention for reducing carbon dioxide (EVs) and hydrogen vehicles (HVs), are technologies
emissions, which play a crucial role in advancing the industry that help reduce dependence on petroleum fuels, which
toward long-term sustainability. are major sources of carbon dioxide emissions. However,
the commercial adoption of electric vehicles in the cold chain
Carbon-Reduction Technologies for a Sustainable industry remains relatively limited compared with their use in
Future personal transportation. Range limitations, particularly when
Installation of solar panels to supply electricity for additional electrical energy is required to maintain refrigerated
refrigeration systems in both transport vehicles and temperatures and support the transportation of heavy loads,
warehouses. Today’s solar technology not only helps make EVs less suitable for long-distance operations. In such
reduce carbon dioxide emissions but also significantly lowers cases, hydrogen vehicles are more suitable because hydrogen
electricity costs. Key factors affecting the payback period has the highest gravimetric energy density; for the same
include the amount of sunlight received by the solar panels. weight, it can provide nearly three times as much energy as
If the system receives consistent solar exposure and there is gasoline and up to 100 times as much as lithium-ion batteries.
sufficient daytime electricity demand, the investment can be Nevertheless, hydrogen vehicles still face limitations due to
recovered within approximately 4–7 years. In addition, users high overall costs, including the production of hydrogen fuel
may also have opportunities to receive government support cells and the installation of hydrogen refueling infrastructure.
or incentives for such investment. Moreover, a key challenge for alternative energy vehicles is

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