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Exploring the Revolutionary ‘Supermarket of the Future’ That Minimizes Energy and Food Waste

Exploring the Revolutionary ‘Supermarket of the Future’ That Minimizes Energy and Food Waste promising, supermarket of the future, waste less energy, waste less food Food and Beverage Business

The flagship store, covering an area of 1,500 sqm, is leased to discount retailer COOP 365 and is located next to the Danfoss headquarters in Nordborg. It is designed to operate on sustainable energy sources and to reduce heating costs by up to 90% by reusing excess heat from cooling cases. Danfoss claims that this store is expected to be approximately 50% more energy efficient compared to a typical supermarket with a first-generation CO2 refrigeration system and no energy efficiency solutions. It is also anticipated to be around 20-30% more efficient than a similar local store equipped with multiple energy efficiency solutions. Apart from being a functioning supermarket, the store also serves as a development center for testing new technology.

Using advanced heating and cooling technology makes good business sense, as these savings result in a typical payback time of under three years. Danfoss hopes that this flagship store will inspire food retailers worldwide to move towards zero emissions supermarkets, especially in a world of rising energy costs, emissions, and worsening food losses.

The supermarket is primarily powered by solar energy, with 100 kW solar panels on the building’s roof providing green energy to support its operations. The store also utilizes state-of-the-art heat recovery units to capture and reuse waste heat from refrigeration systems, which represent the majority of energy consumed in supermarkets. The recovered heat is used to heat up the store and produce domestic hot water, with any additional heat being shared with the surrounding town through a district energy network. This is expected to result in a significant reduction of up to 90% in supermarket heating costs.

Other energy-saving initiatives in place include installing doors on refrigerator and freezer cases, which can save about a third of energy use, and using LED lighting that consumes up to 85% less electricity than incandescent bulbs. Automation and monitoring further contribute to energy savings.

Danfoss emphasizes the importance of matching refrigeration capacity to demand to optimize efficiency and prevent energy waste or food loss. The supermarket’s refrigeration system, acting like a thermal battery, stores or borrows cooling capacity when energy is cheap or solar electricity is abundant. During high-cost peak times, the compressors are temporarily switched off until the peak has passed. This also allows supermarkets to benefit from cheaper tariffs.

Temperature control in refrigeration systems is crucial to prevent food losses, which have a significant carbon footprint. Danfoss employs solutions at various stages of the value chain to address this issue, such as solar-powered refrigeration units in fields to extend produce lifespan. Real-time monitoring technology is also installed in the store to alert store managers of any temperature-related problems before they occur.

To make this technology more accessible and cost-effective for food retailers, Danfoss plans to scale its energy-saving supermarket vision through a service model. Under this model, Danfoss will take full responsibility for running the building and its energy system, allowing the supermarket to focus solely on selling food. The company guarantees lower energy levels and CO2 reductions compared to other supermarkets and offers 24/7 technical support. The costs for supermarkets will remain the same as their existing rents. Danfoss aims to initially target partners in the Nordics and Germany and eventually expand globally.

In conclusion, Danfoss’s flagship store in Nordborg with its sustainable energy sources and advanced technology demonstrates the potential for significant energy savings and reduced emissions in the supermarket industry. The company hopes that this innovative store will inspire food retailers worldwide to embrace energy efficiency and zero emissions supermarkets.

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