Danfoss has commenced construction of one of the world’s most energy-efficient supermarkets to showcase refrigeration and heating technologies.
The Smart Store supermarket will be completed next year.
Instead of allowing the heat produced by cooling cabinets and freezers to go to waste, it will be captured and reused to provide heating for the supermarket and the local community through district energy.
The cooling system in the new supermarket will also run on carbon dioxide.
Danfoss Climate Solutions president of refrigeration & AC controls, Kristian Strand, said the goal of the project is to show how easy and profitable it is to decarbonize the economy and ensure reliable and sustainable energy use.
“Heating and cooling are the largest energy consumers in supermarkets. The solutions we are building here represent the core of Danfoss solutions and will showcase how we can approach zero energy use in food retail together,” Strand said.
“The state-of-the-art supermarket is situated right next to Danfoss’ headquarters and will lead the way for how supermarket chains around the world can build climate-friendly and sustainable stores with the technologies that already exist today.”
The site will also serve as an Application Development Centre where Danfoss will work together with partners to co-develop new technologies and explore interfaces in the energy system surrounding energy storage.
“The supermarket will be the focal point for a new part of our campus, where all buildings will be energy-efficient and meet special sustainability requirements,” he said.
Denmark’s largest independent supermarket, association, BALS, will rent the building from Danfoss and will install a COOP 365discount supermarket.
BALS, which works together with COOP, has a total of 13 stores in the area around Sønderborg in Denmark and since 2015 has consistently reduced the consumption of energy in its stores.
So far, they have cut 44 per cent of their total CO2 emissions. Therefore, it was a natural next step that BALS became a partner in the project.
BALS managing director, Lars G. Andersen, said its supermarkets have nearly no heating costs.
“The heat comes from our freon-free refrigeration systems, solar cells, and heat pumps,” he said.
“It is an advantage with the current energy prices, and it reduces our CO2 emissions. We are proud to be part of one of the most energy-efficient supermarkets in the world and test the solutions that can help buildings become climate neutral.”
Danfoss will also establish a showroom in the supermarket building so all installations are visible to visitors and customers.