Viessmann heat pump wins German climate award

The ‘ESyCool green’, an energy system for cooling applications from German company Viessmann has won an Innovation Prize for Climate and Environment (Innovationspreis für Klima und Umwelt or IKU) in the category ‘process innovations for climate protection’.

The IKU award is presented by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety and the Federal Association of German Industry every two years.

German Secretary of State for Environment Jochen Flasbarth presented Joachim Janssen, co-CEO of the Viessmann Group, with the award in Berlin.

"This award encourages us to continue in developing sustainable energy solutions for the benefit of future generations,” a German Innovation Prize for Climate and Environment (Innovationspreis für Klima und Umwelt) Janssen said.

The ESyCool green, developed by Viessmann in cooperation with German retailer Aldi Nord, is specifically designed for supermarkets and was showcased last year at EuroShop 2017 for the first time.

The ESyCool green is a highly efficient energy system that controls and optimises the flows of energy in a supermarket. It operates based on heat pumps in combination with optimised refrigerated cabinets and cold rooms, as well as an integrated ice energy storage unit and photovoltaic system.

“We are very pleased with the award and it underscores once again how innovative our solution is. It boasts features that are unique on the market – especially in terms of ice energy storage,” said Frank Winters, CEO of Viessmann Refrigeration Solutions.

The refrigeration/heating part of the system is made up of brine water heat pumps operating with natural refrigerant R290 (propane) in small, hermetically sealed refrigeration circuits.

According to Viessmann the heat pump technology requires around 95% less refrigerant than conventional systems. Discounters require approximately 100 kg of refrigerant, depending on the size of the market, while 5kg of propane is needed according to the company.    

The ESyCool green energy solution is currently working in several ALDI Nord pilot projects.