For its new 22,000m2 (236,806ft2) store in Johannesburg, South Africa, retail/wholesale outlet Evergreens has installed the largest transcritical CO2 installation in the South African commercial sector – and one of the largest commercial systems in the world.
The system, custom-designed, built and installed by South Africa-based OEM CRS (a subsidiary of holding company Sphere), has a refrigeration capacity of 1.9MW (540TR) serving 167 loads, says CRS.
The new store opened in August. Evergreens’ other store, in Pretoria, employs an HFC-based refrigeration system.
CRS, the primary supplier of CO2 systems in South Africa, has installed more than 100 transcritical CO2 systems in the country (and beyond). Evergreens, however, is its largest commercial installation to date with a capacity more akin to an industrial system.
“The size of the project meant that it fell into a gap where it is large enough for it to be cheaper than a synthetic-refrigerant solution and small enough to be cheaper than ammonia.”
Maurice Robinson, Sphere
Established 35 years ago, Evergreens is a one-stop shop that supplies fresh produce, groceries and frozen goods for both retail and bulk shoppers, including everything from restaurants and schools to hotels and nursing homes. It is regarded as the largest independent fresh produce retail/warehouse store in the Southern Hemisphere.
So far, Evergreens is very happy with the refrigeration installation and how it is running, confirmed David Lopes, its senior buyer and project manager for new business.
Read this article in its entirety in the October 2019 issue of Accelerate Magazine
