Viking Cold Solutions, Houston, Texas, announced its thermal energy storage (TES) technology decreases energy consumption in ammonia-refrigerated warehouses, according to a measurement and verification study conducted at Dreisbach Enterprises’ 93,000-square-foot frozen food distribution center in Richmond, Calif.

The study demonstrated the ability of TES to mitigate the facility’s 13-hour peak period by simultaneously: 

·       reducing peak period energy consumption by up to 43%.

·       reducing peak demand within this peak period by up to 29%.

·       maintaining 50% more stable temperatures.

“This study demonstrates that cold storage operators can safely reduce energy costs and utilities can significantly lower demand on the electrical grid during peak periods to defer costly infrastructure investments,” says Collin Coker, vice president of sales and marketing at Viking Cold Solutions. “With growing demand management challenges and extreme weather events becoming more common, operators and utilities are in constant search for effective storage and energy efficiency technologies like Thermal Energy Storage.”

Post-study, The Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E), San Francisco, validated the study results for each of the subsequent three months beyond the test period. Year-over-year comparisons of demand showed the following:

·       reduced average demand by 20%.

·       daily peak demand shifted outside of the 13-hour peak period.

·       reduced peak demand between 300kW and 400 kW for the entire 13 hours.

These results were achieved with a decrease in maximum demand while better maintaining the facility’s temperature requirements.

Dreisbach Enterprises, Inc. is based in Oakland, Calif.