ASHRAE Journal, the official publication of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, has published an article outlining the resiliency benefits of thermal energy storage (TES) in commercial and industrial refrigeration applications. Temperature controlled food storage facilities have a number of risks that come from the increasing number of extreme weather-related power outages or from refrigeration system breakdowns. The ASHRAE article also describes additional benefits such as energy efficiency, improved temperature stability, and increased energy management options for facilities with TES.

Food Processing Magazine has published an eHandbook outlining new technologies that food processors can use to improve food safety and food quality in their operations.  A number of new food processing technologies and their benefits are described including the food quality and energy-saving benefits of thermal energy storage.

Our growing need for more power, shifting patterns of demand, and the rapid expansion of variable renewable generation is presenting challenges to the grid. Energy storage is certainly part of the solution, but is the market or regulation driving the development of storage? How is long duration storage being advanced to better address these needs?  Are there long duration energy storage solutions today that are economical to broadly deploy? Get some answers in this Utility Dive article that discusses the drivers and economics of long duration energy storage.

Accelerate Magazine, a publication focused on advancing HVAC&R sustainability, has featured Viking Cold’s Thermal Energy Storage (TES) technology. The article covers the sustainability benefits of TES, a recent utility-backed demand management project, and a customer installation case study.

Viking Cold Solutions is pleased to have been named a finalist for the 2019 Energy Storage North America Innovation Awards! The ESNA Innovation Awards recognize excellence and impact in energy storage project development.

Viking Cold has been recognized for its deployment of eight Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems as part of a utility-backed demand management program in Massachusetts. These behind-the-meter TES systems store and facilitate the management of approximately 1.3 MW of energy onsite. This project is noteworthy because Viking Cold’s solution leverages the facilities’ existing refrigeration systems to store cold energy and discharge it over long periods of time (up to 13 hours) when it is most beneficial for the grid and the facility operator, thus lowering energy costs, increasing resiliency, and helping the environment.

The Greater Boston Food Bank, the program’s first installation, has already seen a 75% reduction in energy consumption and a 76% reduction in demand during its four-hour peak demand period.

“As the largest hunger relief organization in New England, our goal is to provide healthy meals to those in need across Eastern Massachusetts,” said The Greater Boston Food Bank SVP of Supply Chain and Food Acquisition, Cheryl Schondek. “We strive for cost-saving operational efficiencies, and our partnership with Eversource and the installation of the Viking Cold TES system better enables us to achieve this goal. We appreciate their commitment to our mission to end hunger here.”

You can read more about the TES project online here.

Please help Viking Cold win this year’s ESNA Innovation Award – you can vote with the form online here. Deadline is September 12, 2019.

Cold Facts, the official publication of the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA), published an article covering new technologies in cold storage construction that add efficiency to cold storage building projects. The article describes a presentation at the 38th Controlled Environment Building Association (CEBA) Conference delivered by Viking Cold Solutions, Cold Box Builders, and Evapco. Representatives from all three companies discuss new efficiency technologies and trends for the cold storage industry, particularly in ammonia refrigerated facilities.

Progressive Grocer has published an article outlining the not-to-distant future of sustainable grocery store refrigeration.  Numerous technologies from companies like Viking Cold, Emerson, Honeywell, and CoolSys are referenced as the key to what is rapidly becoming the new normal in grocery stores: improved refrigeration sustainability.

Those in the cold storage biz know that more thermal mass inside a freezer allows that freezer to float, or flywheel, longer without active refrigeration. But is food the right thermal mass to use to cut energy costs?  Can flywheeling periods be even longer?  Can more energy be saved?  Can it be done without using food as the thermal battery?  Read the full article published on FoodDive.com to learn how thermal energy storage improves the economic benefits of flywheeling without requiring additional energy or risking the quality of the food we put on our tables every day.

Viking Cold is proud to have been selected as one of Food Logistics’ annual Top Green Providers for the third year in a row.  We love that we are again being recognized for improving sustainability, adding resiliency, and better protecting food throughout the global cold chain. This year’s list showcases companies that have found new ways to promote sustainability throughout their operations and for their customers. Winners consists of 3PLs, technology companies, transportation providers, cold storage providers and many more that have upped their game to become leaders in the sustainable global food supply chain.

The May 2019 edition of Food Logistics includes an article outlining the risks of using frozen food as a battery for flywheeling. The article also discusses using Viking Cold’s Thermal Energy Storage systems as an alternative temperature capacitor to achieve even better flywheeling results, reduce the risks of flywheeling, and provide additional benefits. Utility-sponsored programs that can subsidize or entirely cover the system and installation costs are also discussed.