Sustainable cold supply on the road to success: the efficient and environmentally friendly ESyCool green energy system from Viessmann Kühlsysteme GmbH was yesterday awarded the German Innovation Prize for Climate and Environment “IKU”. The IKU Award is presented every two years by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety, as well as by the Federation of German Industries. It rewards innovations from industry and research that demonstrate new paths in climate and environmental protection. The ESyCool green system, which was developed in collaboration with ALDI Nord, took first place in the category “Process Innovations for Climate Protection”. Joachim Janssen, Co-CEO of the Viessmann Group, accepted the award in Berlin from State Secretary for the Environment Jochen Flasbarth.
Janssen said: “We will continue to show great commitment toward developing energy solutions in the future that help preserve natural resources for generations to come.”
The new type of cold and heat supply for supermarkets not only significantly reduces energy consumption, but it also saves significant amounts of CO2. The ESyCool green even makes it possible to achieve zero-emission stores – one of the major sustainability goals of the food retail sector.
ESyCool green (energy system for cooling applications) focuses primarily on cooling, which accounts for the largest part (over 50 percent) of a supermarket’s electrical power consumption. At the heart of the new type of combined heating and cooling system are brine/water heat pumps, which are operated with the natural refrigerant R290 (propane) in small, hermetically sealed refrigeration circuits. Thanks to the innovative heat pump technology, refrigerant savings of around 95 percent can be achieved. While the conventional refrigeration systems in a discount store require approximately 100 kg of refrigerant, depending on the size of the store, ESyCool green reduces the amount of refrigerant to less than 5 kg of natural refrigerant.
Another special feature of Viessmann’s innovative energy system is the ice energy storage tank, which uses water-to-ice phase change energy. On particularly cold days, additional heat can be extracted very efficiently from the thermal store. In summer, the heat pumps can also be used during the day to build up ice in the ice energy storage tank via the photovoltaic system. Then at night, the stored regenerative solar energy can be used to cool the refrigeration points. Viessmann calls this feature “Power2Ice”.
The collaboration with ALDI Nord has proven that the environmentally friendly ESyCool green energy system also works in practice during pilot projects in several of the discount store’s branches. After two years of rigorous testing, a significant reduction in the stores’ electrical energy consumption, as well as total CO2 emissions, is becoming apparent.
Info:
Viessmann Kühlsysteme GmbH, Stefanie Noritzsch, Dr.-Vießmann-Str.1, 95030 Hof/Saale, Germany, phone +49(0)92 81/814-287, fax +49(0)92 81/81 4-8287, e-mail: NrtS@viessmann.com