tegut… is known for its attention to detail in providing its customers with good tasting organic foods – even selling its own brand grown mostly in the German state of Hessen – that allow customers to eat healthily. It is only fitting that an organisation so concerned about healthy lifestyles would move to embrace environmentally sustainable refrigeration processes for its stores. The company called on Carrier Commercial Refrigeration Germany to start a two-year test phase with a pilot CO2 system installation. This became the basis for the tegut… executive board’s decision to solely implement CO2 refrigeration systems, including comprehensive energy-saving features such as glass doors for all medium-temperature refrigerated display cabinets, in all new and remodelled stores.
In an exclusive interview with R744.com, Carrier Commercial Refrigeration’s Christoph Brouwers answers questions about the green refrigeration plan and tegut’s… decision to invest in CO2.
R744.com: Carrier first started working with tegut… to supply sustainable refrigeration systems in 2010. The initial agreement extended until 2012 with a goal to equip 50 tegut… stores with CO2OLtec systems. How did these initial installations perform in terms of energy consumption; were there any roll-out issues; and what lessons were learned?
Christoph Brouwers: Our customer tegut… has confirmed that its energy-efficiency expectations were always exceeded, which demonstrates the performance advantages of CO2 in supermarket refrigeration. From a purely technical point of view, the implementation of the CO2OLtec® systems in the tegut… stores went very smoothly, which is what we would expect having more than 10 years of expertise in the field of CO2 technology including development, installation and service.
R744.com: What was the motivation for tegut… to initially start using CO2 refrigeration?
Brouwers: Our relationship with tegut… is founded on common ground with respect to sustainable operations. We couldn’t speak on their behalf, but understand that to be a top priority.
R744.com: Why did the company choose CO2 over other refrigerants?
Brouwers: CO2 was seen as the best solution for environmental sustainability as it has an ozone-depletion potential of zero and a Global Warming Potential of one. In addition, CO2 is not subject to phase-outs, taxes and European F-gas regulation and requires no special disposal. We chose CO2 because we believe it to be the best, most compelling natural refrigerant choice for commercial refrigeration applications.
R744.com: Was the agreement between Carrier and tegut… extended or renewed after 2012?
Brouwers: The fulfilment of the first agreement between Carrier and tegut… was extended until the end of 2013. A renewed agreement between the two parties began in 2014 for Carrier to exclusively supply tegut… with CO2OLtec refrigeration systems for all new and remodelled stores through the end of 2016.
R744.com: How many CO2OLtec systems will have been installed in tegut… stores by the end of 2014?
Brouwers: As of the end of 2014, there were 53 tegut… stores up and running with CO2OLtec systems.
R744.com: According to a 2013 progress report, tegut…’s goal is to switch entirely to CO2 refrigeration; by when will tegut… have switched all its refrigeration systems to CO2 transcritical solutions?
Brouwers: Of course tegut… is better equipped to answer this question, but based on their current number of stores (290), at the current rate it will take another five years to complete the total CO2 conversion.
R744.com: Carrier recently released a study that found CO2 refrigeration has become a standard option for European grocery stores. How has Carrier experienced the market evolving, and what do you think the commercial refrigeration market will look like in 5 years’ time?
Brouwers: With the revised EU F-gas Regulation (EU/517/2014) in effect from 2015 onwards, we expect an accelerated move towards CO2 in supermarket refrigeration (but not the entire commercial refrigeration segment) within the next five years. It is likely that two-thirds of the commercial refrigeration segment will be using CO2 with the remaining one-third covered by HFCs or HFO blends.
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