Demand response potential of a grocery store refrigeration and heat pump system for heat recovery by using real time electricity pricing

This study assesses the demand response potential in grocery stores for the entire energy system, including a CO 2 booster and heat pump system, with respect to spot-price variations in the Nord Pool Finnish electricity market. Grocery stores are ideal for demand response measures due to their high heating and electricity demand, as well as the potential to store thermal energy in refrigerated food. The proposed demand response strategy utilizes the thermal capacity of refrigerated foodstuff and thermal buffering with the heating system to achieve cost savings from both electricity and district heating. The study highlights the importance of a common demand response strategy for both refrigeration and heat pump systems to achieve annual cost savings. Annual cost savings of at least 5–13% can be achieved alongside with an increase in overall energy system electricity consumption by 8–21% during winter months. The lower savings are achieved utilizing the thermal mass in the grocery store, while incorporating larger storage tanks in the heat pump system results in higher savings. The findings suggest that extending demand response incentives to both electricity and district heating will enable new business models benefiting both customers and energy providers, particularly with the introduction of larger condenser side buffer tanks in the heat pump system.