Supply & Demand Chain Executive annual Green Supply Chain Award winners for 2018 have been announced and Viking Cold is proud to be one of this year’s recipients. The award recognizes providers of supply chain solutions and services assisting their customers in achieving measurable sustainability goals. You can view the full list of 2018 Green Supply Chain Award winners here.

The fastest ways to lower energy costs are adding efficiencies to the facility and adding flexibility to how and when to purchase the power that drives refrigeration equipment. This is similar to achieving better fuel efficiency for automobiles on highways versus city streets and throwing in some downhills to further reduce fuel costs. Read more about five specific strategies that lower refrigeration energy costs in frozen food warehouses on Supply Chain Dive.

Viking Cold’s first installation at Red de Frios in Monterrey, Mexico is also the first energy management system of its kind in the Mexican cold storage industry.

MONTERREY, MEXICO and HOUSTON, TX (Business Wire) – Viking Cold Solutions, the leading Thermal Energy Storage (TES) provider for the low-temperature cold storage industry, announced its partnership with Red de Frios to manage energy usage in one of its 2,500 square foot frozen food warehouses at Almacén Ruíz Cortines in Monterrey, Mexico. Viking Cold’s patented TES system reduces overall electricity consumption and shifts energy usage to less expensive periods of the day. This project is the first of its kind in Mexico, the second largest economy in Latin America, and marks the first installation of Viking Cold Solutions’ technology in Latin America outside of the Caribbean.

Viking Cold’s system was configured to operate specifically for Red de Frios’ utility rate structure and facility requirements. During the months of July, August, and September, some of the warmest months of the year, Red de Frios has seen a 20% reduction in energy consumption due to the TES system’s added efficiency. Additionally, during daily periods of high energy costs when refrigeration equipment is cycled off, Red de Frios has seen a slower increase in temperatures and greater temperature stability.

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Arizona State University has published an article describing a research experiment of Viking Cold’s Thermal Energy Storage system in a large ice cream storage warehouse in Arizona.  The experiment is a partnership between the utility provider Salt River Project, grocery retailer Basha’s Family of Stores, Arizona State University’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, and Viking Cold Solutions.

Producing, shipping, storing, and selling frozen foods comes with risks at every step of the cold chain. These risks include temperature fluctuations (which cause loss of product quality and shelf life) as well as potential problems with power and equipment resiliency, and the loss of profits. Grocery Business has published an article describing how Viking Cold’s Thermal Energy Storage technology can help address all these risks.

International publication Potato Business has published an article featuring Viking Cold’s Thermal Energy Storage technology. All frozen foods, especially those with high water content like potatoes, are susceptible to shelf life and quality loss due to temperature variations. Read more about how TES helps cold storage facilities protect their product.

Did you know that almost 10% of the water in frozen beef is still liquid even at -40 degrees Celsius? Food Dive’s article discusses how that water content could be reducing frozen food’s color, texture, taste, and shelf life and how TES technology can help reduce the risk of frozen food temperature fluctuations in walk-in freezers and frozen food warehouses.

Sustainability is a growing priority in the grocery and cold-storage worlds, and new technology implementations require investment.  Progressive Grocer has posted a blog article that outlines how grocers and operators can add thermal energy storage with no upfront investment and be cash-flow positive from day one. They can now expand their green initiatives, lower energy costs, protect their food, and reduce their carbon footprint without capital expenditures or tying up credit.

Study Confirms 43% Decrease in Energy Consumption in an Ammonia-Refrigerated Warehouse with Viking Cold Solutions’ Thermal Energy Storage Technology – Significant Benefits for Cold Storage and Grid Operators

Richmond, CA and Houston, TX (Business Wire) — Viking Cold Solutions, the leading Thermal Energy Storage (TES) provider for the low-temperature cold storage industry, announced that its measurement and verification (M&V) study on Viking Cold’s TES technology at Dreisbach Enterprises’ 93,000 square foot frozen food distribution center in Richmond, CA  shows significant operational and financial benefits for utilities and the cold storage industry. 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 percent
• reducing peak demand within this peak period by up to 29 percent
• maintaining 50 percent more stable temperatures

Refrigeration is the third highest electricity consuming utility category, and the cold storage industry is a prime target for load distribution management solutions. Cold storage operators, the grocery industry, and utilities challenged with managing peak loads on the electrical grid can all benefit from the refrigeration efficiency and load shift capabilities of TES.

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Even at -40 degrees Celsius there is still some unfrozen water in frozen food. Grocery Business has published a website article outlining the potential risks of temperature fluctuations to frozen products and how Viking Cold’s Thermal Energy Storage technology can help protect food quality and shelf life from “Micro-Freezer-Burn”.