Clear answer
Clear answer, explained.
Refrigeration is typically the largest and least flexible load in a food facility. It runs continuously regardless of solar output.
The solar system offsets the refrigeration load during daytime hours. Battery storage can capture excess daytime generation and discharge it to the refrigeration system overnight, improving total offset. The demand charge component of refrigeration costs can be addressed through load scheduling or storage dispatch.
Key points
What this means in practice.
- Refrigeration is typically the largest and least flexible load in a food facility
- Refrigeration runs continuously regardless of solar output — it cannot be shifted to align with generation
- Solar offsets the refrigeration load during daytime hours, reducing the volume of grid electricity purchased
- Battery storage captures excess daytime solar generation and deploys it to the refrigeration load overnight
- Battery storage improves total annual offset beyond what solar alone can achieve in a 24/7 refrigeration facility
- Demand charges from refrigeration peak loads can be addressed through load scheduling or storage dispatch
When this applies
Best-fit environments.
- You operate a food facility with significant refrigeration load and want to understand how solar and storage interact with it
- You want to understand whether solar can meaningfully offset refrigeration costs in a 24/7 operation
- You are evaluating solar-plus-storage for a food facility and want to understand the role of battery storage in overnight refrigeration periods
- You are building a financial model for a food facility energy project and need to understand how refrigeration load is treated
Q·01
