Episode 114 | Thermal Thinking | Viking Cold Solutions

I first came across the concept of thermal energy storage while reading The Grid by Gretchen Bakke in 2017. That turned me on to Ice Energy, who I profiled in Episode 30.

Ice Energy went bankrupt in late 2019, and I was devastated. Today's guest, Houston-based Viking Cold Solutions, believes they have learned from the lessons Ice Energy taught. Viking President and CEO James Bell says, "[Ice Energy] were pioneers of working with utilities to try to address big problems."

Ice Energy's value proposition was that it shifted energy load by making ice during offpeak hours. This did not reduce energy as much as it shifted energy. Most of their clients were electric utilities who purchased these products for companies.

James says their product can both shift energy load and reduce energy consumption. The breakthrough is their blue "modules," containing hydrated salts. They "absorb heat and give off cold," according to James.

Viking Cold also focuses on the energy-intensive refrigeration industry, which consumes the most power per cubic foot, and is the 3rd most intense energy consumer behind lighting and HVAC.

"It looks like a big heat sink and it operates like one," James says of his modules. Their clients typically position these modules near the top of a warehouse, where heat rises. James says the customer will then run the refrigeration equipment "full out," then shut everything off. That's when the modules go to work. James says this can allow facilities to run virtually energy-free for hours. Net energy saving for most customers, he says, are about 25%.

The company got its start around 2009. Founder and Chairman Paul Robbins developed the modules for shipping containers.

“The technology didn’t come from a national lab or a university and it tried to find a problem it could solve," says James. "It came from a problem that a business owner had that he needed to solve and he did.” By 2011, Viking Cold Solutions was formed and the company begin working in the warehouse sector.

Like the shipping containers, James says a big selling point of the technology is its ability to absorb heat and keep temperatures consistent. One of the biggest challenges in the industry is micro-thawing and excess crystals forming, which can lead to freezer burn and damage food.

“We think this technology, as we continue to expand into the cold chain, is going to end up being from farm to fork.”

Useful Links:

Viking Cold Solutions - Official Site

Video - "Why We Do What We Do" - Viking Cold Solutions

Thermal Energy Storage - Energy Storage Association