UPDATE: GUIDE 2014 case study: SINTEF Norwegian CO2 store, most energy efficient in Europe?

The SINTEF (Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research at the Norwegian Institute of Technology) Energy Research team has been highly involved in the design of one of the most energy-saving CO₂ stores in Norway. A case study about the project is featured in the ‘GUIDE Europe 2014: Natural Refrigerants – Continued Growth & Innovation in Europe’, published by shecco in January 2014. +VIDEO

The Rema 1000 grocery store in Kroppanmarka in Trondheim, Norway opened in August 2013, and while it may look like an ordinary supermarket from the outside, a closer look reveals green innovation and energy savings of 30 percent.

Natural refrigerant store features number of green innovations

Armin Hafner, Senior Research Scientist at SINTEF believes this shop has the potential to be the most effective energy-saving grocery store in all of Europe. The supermarket features grass on the roof, an air curtain at the entrance, four 170 meter-deep energy wells, special panels on the outer walls to capture natural light, and a single thermal installation control system which regulates heat flow and monitors energy consumption. In addition, the refrigerants used in the refrigerated counters and cabinets throughout the store are natural, including CO₂, propane and butane.

Key energy savings lie in:

The use of daylight
The technologies used in the ventilation system and refrigeration unit
The handling of the heat exchange between these systems
The tuning of the overall control strategy
The monitoring of the energy use of various sub systems

Fully integrated ventilation, cooling and heating system

Excess heat from cooling equipment is temporarily stored in accumulation tanks in the concrete floor. The ventilation system acquires heat only from the accumulation tanks and the energy wells that collect reject heat.

Lighting control key to efficient energy consumption

The supermarket features an automatic control system that switches off fluorescent lights according to the amount of incoming daylight. In the outer walls, Aerogel, a translucent insulation material, distributes daylight to the interior of the shop.

Grocery store turned environmental research project

The supermarket is equipped with advanced measurement devices for all subsystems, turning this grocery store into an ongoing environmental research project.

While it is true that this pilot store is more expensive to build and equip than an average grocery store, it is hoped that this project’s scientifically measured energy consumption results will pave the way for mass-produced (less expensive) solutions. The goal is that results will be made available to grocery stores around the world.