Continuing its efforts to generate additional benefits for grocery stores and cold storage facilities, Axiom Exergy, Richmond, Calif., is working with Leap, San Francisco, to unlock grid services revenue for three Whole Foods Market facilities in Northern California.

Axiom uses its refrigeration battery platform to provide energy bill management and grid services. This platform enables real-time control of a grocery store’s power consumption using an advanced cloud platform, predictive analytics and a thermal energy storage retrofit.

The refrigeration battery platform actively manages the grocery store’s power consumption by intelligently modulating the refrigeration systems. It intelligently charges by freezing tanks of salt water when power demand and utility rates are low, then it autonomously discharges the cooling to offset refrigeration consumption when electricity demand and prices are high, lowering the customer’s utility bills.

During peak hours when demand for energy is high and the grid is stressed, grid operators in California and other markets provide direct financial incentives to reduce power consumption to balance the grid.

“We are pleased to expand our use of innovative platforms like Axiom Exergy’s to unlock new value streams and increase sustainability in our stores,” says Tristam Coffin, director of sustainability and facilities at Whole Foods Market, Austin, Texas. “After a previous successful installation, we are happy to continue partnering with Axiom to implement more cutting-edge power management strategies.”

“We are always looking for new, innovative partners who can provide flexible loads on our platform,” says Thomas Folker, chief executive officer of Leap. “Given that commercial and industrial customers spend 28% of their electricity on thermal services, we’re thrilled to partner with Axiom who can unlock these loads and make them dispatchable for the first time.”

“With so many grocery stores and cold storage facilities operating on razor-thin margins, we are thrilled to offer a service that creates a low-risk and logical revenue stream,” says Amrit Robbins, co-founder and CEO of Axiom Exergy. “Sixty to seventy percent of a typical grocery store’s electricity bill is driven by power, or when energy is consumed. With this robust platform, we can leverage our customers’ existing thermal systems to reduce their utility bills, unlock new grid services revenue streams and protect against expensive food spoilage during power outages throughout their portfolio of buildings.”