The Project “Energy and climate change: Exports sizing and competitiveness increase in the wine industry” performed by the Alberto Hurtado University, the Wine Technological Consortiums Vinnova/TecnoVid and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, with the participation of the National Energy Efficiency Program of the National Energy Commission and the Prevent company. Innova Chile-CORFO financed this initiative.

The main objective of the project was to channel the interest of the Chilean wine companies in climate change and energy efficiency in a study that contributed with technical proposals to face these subjects countrywide.

Therefore, the most intensive wine process phases regarding energy and CO2 emissions were analyzed and the different improvement opportunities that can be implemented in the wine productive process were reviewed. From that start point, the available integral diagnosis tools were synthesized to develop a better management regarding energy issues and to reduce the greenhouse gas emission effect (GHG) and assembled the best practices in these subjects, in Chile as in foreign countries. Under the project frame, the energy flow understanding of the wine industry was intensified, which represents an innovative solution to the measuring technology for this industry in particular.

The project technical management was under the direction of Nicola Borregaard of Alberto Hurtado University and the coordination of the project was carried out by Elena Carretero of the Wine Technological Consortiums, Vinnova S.A. and TecnoVid S.A. In order to follow the different project phases and outline its results and action lines, a Work Team was set up, formed by the Project Team and representatives from wineries and related companies, among others.