Choosing an optimized refrigeration system based on sustainability and operational scenarios applied to four supermarket architectures in three European countries

The growing global demand for refrigeration requires the design of more sustainable systems. However, despite environmentally promising technologies in refrigeration, there are still barriers to their widespread adoption. In this paper, a generic approach able to describe the multiple performances (energy, environmental, economic, social) of refrigeration systems is proposed to assess their potential of adoption. To propose a realistic study framework, four architectures of supermarket refrigeration systems are modelled and simulated using ground data with different climatic conditions and electricity mixes (France, Sweden, Spain). The overall results of these operational scenarios show that the electricity mix is the most influential parameter on cost and environmental impact. In addition, architecture using CO2 refrigerant shows interesting performances regardless of location and despite degraded regimes during heat peaks. However, the maintenance score can be a limiting factor for installing more energy efficient systems. Two other scenarios are studied: with photovoltaic panels; with financial support. Photovoltaic panels help improving cost and environmental performances, but also strongly depend on maintenance performances. Financial support helps facilities using low-global-warming-potential refrigerant to be more competitive than those using high-global-warming-potential refrigerant.