Situation United States Cold Storage (USCS) is one of the top refrigerated warehousing and related logistics services companies operating throughout North America.  Their Tulare South facility is a 116,482 square foot frozen food warehouse located in the agriculturally focused Inland Empire of Southern California.  The state of California has committed to reaching a goal of 100% renewable and zero-carbon electricity by 2045, and USCS is just as committed to reducing their energy usage. To help California meet its energy demand reduction goals, USCS set out to focus on energy efficiency and better temperature control in their energy-intensive warehouses. Challenge Operations managers at USCS face daily energy use challenges.  To help alleviate these issues, USCS chose their Tulare South location to explore options with energy-saving technologies.  The goals were to safely meet California's energy demand reduction initiatives by lowering demand and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while also addressing energy-use concerns, decreasing costs, and increasing sustainability and resiliency. Solution USCS adopted Thermal Energy Storage (TES) technology to reduce their carbon footprint and lower their energy costs.  Viking Cold Solutions installed energy meters, sensors, and controls throughout Tulare South’s temperature-controlled warehouse to monitor its operations and performance.  Viking Cold then installed energy storage modules containing environmentally friendly Phase Change Material (PCM) which, when combined with cloud-based optimization algorithms, allowed Tulare South to control when and how it uses and procures energy.  The facility's digitization, energy storage, and cloud-based optimization allows Viking Cold to continuously assess and improve the performance of USCS’s frozen food warehouse. Outcome By utilizing Viking Cold's TES technology and optimization services, USCS lowered Tulare South’s peak period demand by more than 30% and refrigeration energy consumption by 25%, resulting in an annual carbon footprint reduction of over 350 tons at this facility.  The frozen food warehouse not only increased energy efficiency but also increased temperature stability in the freezer by over 40%, better protecting the food. Operators of cold storage facilities, businesses with refrigeration loads, and utilities that need to control peak demands on the electrical grid all stand to gain significantly from Thermal Energy Storage.  USCS Tulare South is a prime example of how TES technology effectively lowers energy demand and consumption while improving temperature stability in cold storage facilities.  As a result, operational costs are reduced, product is protected, and environmental effects are minimized. For a more detailed account of Thermal Energy Storage and its benefits, download the USCS Tulare South Case Study.  

Viking Cold Solutions has been awarded the first-ever Top Tech Startup Award by Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive. This award recognizes top software and technology startups in the supply chain and logistics industry. According to Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive, technology and software companies are leading the way in supply chain innovation. Many of today's tech startups are positioned to significantly disrupt the supply chain space with their innovations in artificial intelligence, robotics, fulfillment execution, and real-time visibility. “The future of the supply chain industry is directly impacted by the development of these new technologies, and I’m very excited to see what’s next for these winners,” says editor-in-chief of Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive, Marina Mayer. Viking Cold Solutions is honored to be included amongst the industry's top disrupters. Our technology empowers solutions and services that significantly reduce GHG emissions, operational costs, and business risk for cold storage operations with high refrigeration-based energy loads. Our focus is to make cold storage systems more sustainable, efficient, and resilient for the world. To view the full list of Top Tech Startup Award winners, visit the Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive websites. For more information on Viking Cold’s award-winning technology, and how it can reduce energy consumption and increase the sustainability of your cold storage facilities, contact us today!  

Isla Frio’s cold storage facility, in Cidra on the island of Puerto Rico, was well prepared with a back-up generator and fully charged Thermal Energy Storage (TES) when Hurricane Fiona made landfall on Sunday, September 18th.  The island was overwhelmed by historic amounts of rainfall, ranging from 6 to 20 inches, with some areas receiving over 3 feet of rain from the storm.  As the days progressed, Hurricane Fiona strengthened and left the entire island without power.  Fortunately, the resilient combination of TES and back up generation allowed Isla Frio to maintain their required safe temperatures throughout the storm – and for days longer than other facilities – by running the generator only during the day and turning it off at night to save diesel. In fact, diesel consumption was reduced by over 50% and extended the time the generator could run from 6 days to over 12 days. Chart 1 – Isla Frio’s Main Freezer Temperature from September 5 - 23 Source: Viking Cold Solutions’ Cold Chain PortalTM In Chart 1, the change to the temperature settings to a -10 Fahrenheit setpoint before the hurricane is clear on September the 10th.  This provided fully charged Thermal Energy Storage to work intermittently with Isla Frio’s generator and allowed Isla Frio to maintain safe temperatures throughout the hurricane without products ever passing -5 degrees Fahrenheit – even without any power.  Isla Frio kept their clients’ products safe and were immediately able to help feed the people of Puerto Rico during their time of need.  As a trusted partner to dozens of Puerto Rico’s food storage and distribution businesses, Viking Cold Solutions was there before Hurricane Fiona, during the storm, and now to help the island recover by providing resilient, safe, and energy efficient temperature control technology. Chart 2 – Isla Frio’s Cooler & Freezer Temperatures from September 18 - 23 Source: Viking Cold Solutions’ Cold Chain PortalTM Isla Frio’s TES system maintained facility temperatures day after day, as pictured in Chart 2, even when there was no power available by providing supplemental refrigeration and intelligent control.  The TES technology reduced temperature stratification and cut temperature fluctuations while absorbing and consolidating 50% to 85% of heat infiltration.  Our 24/7 remote monitoring and notification service kept our clients at Isla Frio well informed about their facility during the storm and provided valuable data for effective decision making. As Hurricane Fiona churns its way past Bermuda, Viking Cold Solutions was already there working with our clients to again weather the storm.  We’re relieved that our Puerto Rico clients are recovering quickly with our resilient technology and look forward to helping more businesses get through extreme weather and manage expensive, intermittent electricity.  Whether it’s a hurricane, equipment failure, forest fires, or other natural or man-made disasters, Viking Cold Solutions’ resilient sustainability technology is there to help.  For more information about how our TES technology can help your facility, click here.