Battery Could Add New Element to Temporary Cold Storage

Icecool trailers provide temporary cold storage and freezer solutions
27-Apr-2015

Battery Could Add New Element to Temporary Cold Storage

Renewable energy holds a lot of promise for changing the way we do things. However, one of the biggest stumbling blocks to large-scale adoption is one of storage. Energy producers need to be able to store excess energy during non-peak periods for later use at peak, whether by battery or some other storage facility. It turns out that some creative scientists have been addressing this problem for the refrigeration industry. They have come up with something known as the 'refrigeration battery', a technology that could eventually make its way to temporary cold storage.

Axiom Energy has developed a storage system that allows commercial refrigeration units to save and keep excess cold. When this refrigeration battery begins to discharge, compressors and condensers can be shut down without any risk of internal temperatures rising. Equipment can be restarted when the discharge cycle is nearly complete. As an added bonus, the battery can be used to provide hours of backup in the event of a power outage.

The refrigeration battery works by using off-peak energy to both operate refrigeration equipment and freeze a large tank of water with special additives. The battery is then slowly discharged during peak times so that the refrigeration units do not need to use as much energy. The system was designed around the concept that commercial refrigeration units typically run at full capacity 24 hours a day. Taking advantage of that capacity during off-peak hours makes it possible to use energy to charge the refrigeration battery at a time when it is not so expensive.

Right now, the technology is aimed squarely at commercial refrigeration for the large-scale needs of the supermarket and wholesale sectors. However, it could easily be adopted for small-scale needs as well. We can see a day when the refrigeration battery is a standard component of refrigerated trailers and temporary freezer units.

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Reducing Energy Load

Imagine a group of several dozen vendors working an outdoor music festival during the summer. There would be row upon row of refrigerated trailers set up to keep food products from spoiling. Then imagine refrigeration batteries storing excess cold during the overnight hours when festivalgoers are all asleep. During the day, when the demand for power is as high as it will be, those same refrigerated trailers are using less energy thanks to battery supplementation.

Battery backup would be an added benefit for temporary cold storage units. Let's face it, compressors and condensers do fail from time to time. A refrigeration battery backup would keep the contents of a refrigerated trailer or walk-in freezer at the right temperature until a repair technician arrived.

The beauty of the idea is its simplicity. Freezing an internal tank of water for later discharge is no different from filling a portable cooler with ice prior to a day at the beach. The energy discharge from the slowly melting ice keeps internal temperatures as cold as it needs to be. It is a wonder no one has thought of this idea before.

At Icecool Trailers, we have no way of knowing where this technology will lead. Nevertheless, it is interesting to speculate. Maybe there will come a day when our refrigerated trailers and freezers have a refrigeration battery that will save energy and provide backup in the event of equipment failure. Until then though, we will continue to provide our customers in London and throughout England and Wales with the portable cold storage they need. We hire out both trailers and walk-in rooms for short and long-term needs.

Sources:

1.Energy Manager Today – http://www.energymanagertoday.com/refrigeration-battery-works-energy-storage-0111422/

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