International. Discount retailer Aldi and refrigeration company Viessmann presented a joint energy program at the EuroShop exhibition that took place in March 2017 in Düsseldorf, Germany.
This program consists of a sustainable energy system called ESyCool Green that employs propane heat pumps in combination with optimized cabinets and cooling cells, as well as an integrated ice energy storage unit and a photovoltaic system.
The greatest potential for savings comes exclusively from in-store cooling technology, which contributes to around 50% of total energy consumption. Viessmann had already installed the system on behalf of Aldi Nord in a newly built store at the end of 2015, in Germany.
A 12-month trial was conducted and the energy efficiency of the facility was successfully approved. It is believed that self-generated electricity from photovoltaic systems will supply the cooling points in the market through a cooling circuit.
They are already prepared to run on self-generated energy from photovoltaic panels and use circulating brine to cool the store's chillers and freezers and, if necessary, use the warmth they give off to heat the building. On especially cold days, the extra warmth can be derived very efficiently from an attached ice energy accumulator. In summer, the ice collected in the storage device serves as a natural coolant for multideck cabinets and cold rooms.
