Call for partners | SuperCOOL - Using food products as energy buffers to reduce grid congestion and extend shelf life
SuperCOOL introduces an innovative way to manage energy pressure in the food sector: using food products as thermal buffers. By deepcooling products below 4 °C when renewable energy is abundant, food products can store cold energy for use during peakdemand periods – without changing or compromising product quality. This approach relieves grid congestion, improves energy flexibility, and may even extend shelf life of food products while reducing waste.
Partner up for impact
We are looking for:
SuperCOOL is building a multidisciplinary consortium and is seeking partners who can contribute expertise from both the energy domain and the food supply chain.
- We welcome collaboration with energysystem specialists, technology providers and research organisations who can help design, model and validate thermalbuffering strategies.
- At the same time, we invite food producers, suppliers, coldchain operators and companies active in temperaturecontrolled logistics to join us in testing the concept in real supplychain conditions.
By combining expertise from energy, technology, food production and logistics, we aim to jointly validate SuperCOOL and move toward an energysmart, resilient and more sustainable food system.
About the project
The Dutch energy system is under increasing strain. Grid congestion limits the ability of companies to access the electricity they need for cooling, heating and continuous food production. At the same time, the share of variable renewable energy is growing rapidly, creating moments of oversupply followed by scarcity. For the food industry—responsible for extensive coldchain processes—these fluctuations create major operational risks and contribute to unnecessary food loss and waste. To meet national climate and sustainability targets, new system-level solutions are urgently needed that simultaneously enable energy flexibility, grid relief, and foodchain resilience.
SuperCOOL introduces a novel concept for improving energy-efficiency, flexibility, and system integration: using food products themselves as thermal energy buffers. When renewable electricity is abundant, selected food products are cooled below 4 °C—without freezing or damaging quality—so they can store cold energy and bridge periods of limited or expensive electricity. This deepcooling strategy reduces pressure on the grid while enabling more efficient use of renewable power. Importantly, storing products colder than usual may also extend shelf life and reduce food waste, creating combined environmental and economic benefits.
The project will address five key elements:
- Identifying suitable food categories for safe, reversible deep cooling.
- Measuring thermal buffering capacity and modelling energyflexibility potential at product and system levels.
- Assessing impacts on quality, microbiological safety, and shelf life.
- Evaluating operational integration and economic feasibility
- Developing guidelines, decision tools, and implementation pathways
Supercool aims to work closely with industrial partners, technology providers, and research organisations to explore and validate this promising approach. Together, we can create a more energysmart, resilient, and sustainable food system.
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Program Manager
For more information about the project or to collaborate, please contact our contact persons above.
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