Maplewell™ Energy Successfully Deploys “Refrigerators as Energy Storage” Pilot
The pilot for a convenience store operator achieved a 25% reduction in peak energy use, with future reductions projected at 42%
BROOMFIELD, CO — April 6, 2023 — Maplewell Energy, a virtual power plant provider that develops on-site energy solutions to create savings, add resilience, and achieve sustainability goals, announced today that it has successfully piloted using refrigerators for energy storage at an enterprise convenience-store operator.
With its cutting-edge software and hardware, Maplewell is unlocking demand flexibility at the grid edge for commercial, industrial, and government enterprises. Maplewell’s JANiiT platform provides real-time demand charge management and demand response for commercial and industrial buildings up to 250,000 square feet.
During the pilot, Maplewell released the beta version of its demand management software, JANiiT, at two Parkland USA sites in Denver and Salt Lake City. Using on-site refrigerators and HVAC as energy storage, the pilot was successful in dynamically balancing the buildings' energy use and reducing peak usage. The technology used, known as thermal energy storage (TES) in refrigeration, precools canned and bottled beverages prior to an energy peak, optimizing and balancing loads as needed. Initial performance showed a 25% reduction in peak energy usage for the convenience store, with savings going directly to the building operator. With the addition of energy storage, future reductions are expected to reach 42%.
JANiiT will be deployed at two additional sites for the convenience store operator, an office building and an industrial facility.
Maplewell’s demand management software goes beyond a traditional building management or automation system to integrate forecasting, predictive control, and real-time feedback-based optimization that is proactive instead of reactive. Till now, the advanced forecasting and predictive control technologies available in the Maplewell beta had eluded players in the energy space. Advances in forecasting in Maplewell’s JANiiT system have led to superior optimization, enabling customers to finally realize true value in using demand management systems to drive down cost, lower demand peaks, and more effectively manage usage of energy assets. The beta pilot has proven the value and effectiveness of the Maplewell system with technology built into its product and deployed in the field.
“We’re pleased with the excellent results of our pilot,” said Matt Irvin, P.E., CEO & Co-Founder of Maplewell. “Most building management systems lack any sort of dynamic demand management capability for controllable loads. The pilot showed that our solution can dynamically manage demand without impacting enterprise operations, resulting in significant savings for commercial and industrial building owners and operators.”
About Maplewell Energy
Maplewell is modernizing energy demand for commercial and industrial enterprises by unlocking demand flexibility across existing building systems, including batteries, HVAC systems, refrigeration, and PV systems. Through predictive control and real-time feedback-based optimization, Maplewell’s energy management system (EMS) reduces site peak energy demand up to 50%, aggregates demand flexibility on a power distribution system, and offers utilities an alternative to costly infrastructure upgrades. For more information, visit https://www.maplewellenergy.com.
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