CO2 supermarkets: Tesco

Designed as Tesco's first zero-carbon store, the new store at Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, UK, is completely HFC-free. The supermarket is hence using natural refrigerants CO2 and hydrocarbons throughout its refrigerators, freezers, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems in the store and petrol kiosk. The transcritical CO2 system was supplied by Star Refrigeration.@Tesco and Star estimate that standardization of the system will save 22% on the rollout costs. At a side event during the 1st IIR International Conference on Sustainability and the Cold Chain held in Cambridge in March 2010, interested delegates were able to examine the CO2 system at a zero carbon supermarket. The system offers many benefits, including: servicing can be carried out without decanting any refrigerant; compressors are fully protected against expansion valve failure; the system will run on reduced charge in the event of exceeding design pressure; 10% energy savings from compressors running at higher suction.