With a commitment to high-tech, environmentally friendly practices, Longo Brothers Fruit Markets Inc. embarked on a retrofit project to implement a highly efficient, reliable power solution that would allow them to reduce energy costs and further their sustainability goals at their Burlington Walkers Line store in the Greater Toronto Area.

The project implemented a sophisticated CCHP system as the backbone of a power and thermal microgrid, configured with dual-mode controls for an automatic transition between grid-connected and standalone operation in the event of a power interruption. The system’s two C65 microturbines produce electricity while the exhaust is channeled to integrated heat recovery modules to provide hot water. The exhaust is also used by an 80-ton absorption chiller to provide on-site chilled water which complements the CO2 system to ensure its operation in sub-critical mode all throughout the year. Because different environmental temperatures create different needs, the systems adapt seasonally. 

During the summer months, the CHP hot water output is used by a make-up air unit to provide dehumidification, while the absorption chiller provides chilled water to the CO2 racks to precool the system and improves refrigeration system efficiency. In the winter, however, the CHP hot water is used to provide heating for the building reducing natural gas consumption for heating, while the CO2 refrigeration racks get precooling from the cold outside air.