Reduce the energy consumption in Supermarket refrigeration systems
As the share of chilled foods on the European market increases, the Swedish company ENRAD has developed a new technique to reduce the energy consumption from supermarket refrigeration. The new system offers an opportunity for supermarkets to reduce their climate impact while lowering costs.
The challenge
The market calls for both greener and more efficient solutions for refrigerated display cases in supermarkets to reduce environmental impacts and unnecessary costs.
The innovation
ENRAD is located in Sweden and has developed a new technology to decrease energy consumption for cooling and heating systems. The technology is a patented control system and is mainly used in refrigerated displays in supermarkets. The solution can be integrated with existing refrigeration systems and is thus very interesting for the stores that want to reduce their energy consumption and environmental impact. The system can reduce energy consumption up to 35 % and enables an easier and faster installation through a modular design. The system manages the compressors, circulation pumps and condenser fans to ensure optimal efficiency by only producing energy needed to maintain the intended temperature. The system uses R290 as a refrigerant (Zero ODP and Zero GWP), which contributes to the phase out of hydrofluorocarbones, a major contributor to global warming.
The system has been tested in a pilot project with the supermarket chain Willys as a partner. By finance support to business from the Swedish Energy Agency (public interest investor for demonstration and commercial exploitation), the system was installed in the supermarket to reduce energy consumption through data collection and optimization of cooling temperatures. Materials and components were tested at full scale. Values were measured before and after the installation and the new values were found to provide both environmental and economic benefits. Incubator in Borås, which help companies develop ideas and businesses, has also given support to business for further development.
Why did it work?
In the Willys project, ENRAD could demonstrate how easy it was to replace the existing system to a more efficient system, without significant disruption to the business. This because it is simple to install the system and it works independently of refrigerated display manufacturers. The combination of environmental and economic benefits interests many supermarkets.
Further deployment
Thanks to the successful demostration project, the ENRAD system has been installed in additional Willys stores. Besides supermarkets, the company sees potential in offices, homes, hospitals, etc. ENRAD also aims to enter the international market. Since the technology in its final forms and is ready for commercial deployment, the technology reaches level 9 at the TRL scale.
Links:
The ENRAD website