Magnotherm Solutions is launching its first deployment of refrigerant-free magnetic cooling cabinets in collaboration with REWE supermarkets, with the retailer to install 10 to 20 units in 2026, according to Timur Sirman, CEO and Co-Founder of the German startup.
The rollout follows an 11-week in-store pilot study of a 0.4kW (0.11TR) cooling capacity Magnotherm Eclipse cabinet. The retailer found that the magnetic caloric unit used 15% less energy than incumbent propane (R290) cases, while maintaining the 4‒5°C (39.2–41°F) target temperature, Sirman said in a presentation at the ATMOsphere (ATMO) Europe Summit 2025. The event was held November 24–25 in Padua, Italy. ATMOsphere is the publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com.
“Eclipse is [our] first market–ready platform, designed specifically with retail in mind,” Sirman told NaturalRefrigerants.com. “The REWE deal marks a pivotal point for our company and for magnetic cooling, with [these] first supermarket deployments representing a significant milestone in market potential for the technology.”
Deployment specifics: Sirman reports working with German refrigeration cabinet manufacturer KMW Kühlmöbelwerke Limburg to integrate Eclipse in “empty” cabinets.
- The current unit offers up to 0.6kW (0.17TR) of cooling capacity, with initial deployments installed in 0.3kW (0.09TR) capacity cabinets, according to Sirman. “Although the unit is a little over powered for the installation, we want the flexibility to integrate Eclipse in other cabinet formats,” he said.
- While Magnotherm and REWE finalize the store locations and number of ECLIPSE cabinets for installation this year, Sirman said the companies are also discussing extending the partnership beyond 2026.
How it works: At the core of the system is a magnetic material. When exposed to a magnetic field, its magnetic moments align, causing it to heat up. When demagnetized, the material’s moments randomize, lowering the temperature by a few kelvins below its initial value.
- Magnotherm uses an active magnetic regenerator (AMR) to increase the cooling span, with a water-based fluid circulating through the system to transfer heat.
- The Eclipse unit includes a magnetocaloric material block, an AMR with control valves, a rotating permanent magnet assembly, a fluid pump, electronic controls and two water-air heat exchangers for cooling and heat rejection.
Additional notes: Eclipse is Magnotherm’s second-generation magnetocaloric cooler.
- As a technology demonstrator, the company introduced Polaris, a 0.04kW (0.01TR) beverage cooler, in 2023.
- The Eclipse unit won the Innovation of the Year/Refrigeration award at ATMO Europe 2025. It operates as an air-cooled chiller providing a cooling capacity of up to 1kW (0.3TR).
Quotable: “For the supermarket industry, this project marks the starting point for the uptake of refrigerant-free cooling systems,” Sirman said. “By eliminating the need for refrigerants altogether, retailers capture core advantages, including [improved] store safety, higher efficiencies and lower maintenance efforts.”
“The REWE deal marks a pivotal point for our company and for magnetic cooling, representing a significant milestone in market potential for the technology.”
Timur Sirman,
CEO and Co-Founder of Magnotherm
