Supermarket chain Migros Ticino, one of Swiss retailer Migros Group’s 10 regional cooperatives, has installed an integrated CO2 (R744) HVAC&R system from local OEM Biaggini Frigoriferi at its newest store in Bellinzona, Switzerland.
The TotalGreEnergy system will meet all of the supermarket’s refrigeration, heating, air-conditioning and hot water needs as well as serving the office space located in the same building.
To further boost the green credentials of the facility, more than 1,274 photovoltaic (PV) modules have been installed on the roof and one facade of the building, the retailer explained in a LinkedIn post. Covering a total area of 2,298m2 (24,735ft2), the PV system is expected to produce over 301,000 kWh of electricity annually, providing enough energy to power the store and its HVAC&R system, Luca Rossi, Engineer Project Manager at Biaggini Frigoriferi, told NaturalRefrigerants.com. It will save roughly 39 metric tons of CO2 per year.
According to a statement from engineering firm Greenkey, installing PV panels on the side of the building in addition to the roof will help meet the store’s electricity demand in the winter months when energy production is lower and consumption is higher.
In total, Migros Ticino invested more than 12 million Swiss francs (€12.4 million/$13.56 million) in its new supermarket.
High efficiency
The Bellinzona Nord store consists of a sales area of around 809m2 (8,708ft2) with 50m (164ft) of refrigerated cabinets. It also includes two medium-temperature (MT) cold rooms, one low-temperature (LT) cold room and two electrical rooms that require cooling.
Biaggini’s TotalGreEnergy system provides 65kW (18.5TR) for MT refrigeration, 20kW (5.7TR) for LT refrigeration, 80kW (22.7TR) for space heating, 90kW (25.6TR) for air-conditioning and 40kW (11.4TR) for hot water production.
The system comprises three MT compressors, three LT compressors and two auxiliary compressors, all from Italian manufacturer Dorin. To boost system efficiency, the compressors are fitted with permanent magnetic motors, producing less heat compared to traditional motors to minimize energy loss during operation.
To further improve system performance, the rack is cooled by ground water during summer months to enable subcritical operation.
“The energy efficiency will be very high,” Rossi told Marc Chasserot, Co-Founder and CEO of ATMOsphere, in an interview and site visit in January. ATMOsphere is the publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com.
With the store’s PV panels and energy-efficient natural refrigerant-based HVAC&R system, among other features, Migros Ticino is hoping to receive the Minergie label – the highest building certification in Switzerland – Rossi added.
100% CO2 refrigeration
With the opening of this store, as well as other refurbishment projects over the last year, Migros Ticino is close to achieving its goal of converting all of its supermarkets to CO2-based refrigeration by 2025, with just one of its existing stores yet to be upgraded.
Of the chain’s 34 supermarkets, 21 have installed CO2-based refrigeration systems, while a further 12 have all of their HVAC&R needs met by R744-based technologies. According to Rossi, Migros Ticino plans to install two more integrated CO2 systems by the end of 2024.
Migros Ticino and Biaggini have been working together since 2009, when the chain installed its first transcritical CO2 refrigeration system, which was designed and manufactured by Biaggini. The retailer then installed its first integrated CO2 system, also designed and manufactured by Biaggini.
On its current trajectory, Migros Ticino is set to achieve its 100% CO2 target 15 years ahead of the wider Migros Group, which has a total of 630 stores across the country and aims to use 100% natural refrigerants by 2040, according to its net-zero goals.
