Load Management Dialogue

Join Us For:

Viking Cold Solutions for Using Thermal Energy Storage as a Grid Asset

with Collin Coker, Viking Cold Solutions; and Michael Smith, National Grid

Thursday, September 12, 2019; 12:30 - 1:00 p.m. Eastern

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Gain key insights from a 16^th PLMA Award-winning initiative for Technology Pioneer.

Commercial & industrial freezers (10,000 to 200,000+ square feet) in the food and beverage, foodservice, grocery, and cold storage industries require massive amounts of electricity to keep frozen food product temperatures stable between 0 and -20 degrees Fahrenheit. These facilities maintain the highest demand per cubic foot of any industrial category and globally spend over $40 billion on energy every year.

Viking Cold Solutions uses thermal energy storage systems (TES) to utilize frozen food facilities in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Australia as grid assets that enable operators to shed 300-500 kW for up to 13 hours each day. TES systems leverage the facility’s existing refrigeration system to store energy in the form of cold and discharge that energy over long periods of time when it is most economical for the grid and the facility operator. These systems have no mechanical components and use phase change material, to absorb up to 85% of the heat infiltration while refrigeration is cycled off, and intelligent controls to balance temperature requirements and energy use. With a levelized cost of energy of less than 2¢ per kWh, many power providers have added TES technology into their efficiency and demand management programs to improve efficiency an average of 26%, help address the variability of renewables, and unlock large-scale demand management opportunities for a fraction of the cost of other storage mediums.

The dialogue will include:

Collin Coker Viking Cold Solutions As Vice President Sales & Marketing, Colin Coker has led the efforts to market adoption and installations of Viking Cold’s TES systems throughout North America, the Caribbean, and Australia since 2013.  He regularly collaborates with energy and refrigeration experts from third-party engineering firms, utilities, government agencies, and cold storage operators for validation studies, pilots, and customer installations. He has also been responsible for the acceptance of Viking Cold’s TES technology into numerous utility programs across the country.  Prior to joining Viking Cold, Collin had three decades of sales and leadership experience and more than 20 years in wholesale and retail energy. He held executive and leadership roles with StarTex Power/Constellation, Gexa Energy, Direct Energy, and Reliant Energy. He attended Texas State University and earned sales and leadership certifications from universities including the Wharton School of Business, Villanova University, Rice University, and Motorola University.

Michael Smith  National Grid and PLMA Award Group Co-Chair Mike Smith is a Senior Program Manager at National Grid, responsible for managing the implementation of National Grid’s full portfolio of Dynamic Load Management programs in New York State.  Additionally, Mike leads the expansion and development of National Grid’s DR programs as they grow to support increased DER participation and provide more focused grid solutions such as Non-Wires Alternatives.  Prior to joining National Grid, Mike spent more than a decade in the Energy Consulting field, providing program development and implementation services for some of the largest utilities and state agencies in the Northeast.  Mike has been a member of PLMA since 2017 and serves as Co-Chair of the Awards Group.