Glaciem Cooling Technologies wins $2 million in federal funding

Adelaide company Glaciem Cooling Technologies will use a $2 million Federal Government grant to test the viability of its “revolutionary” thermal energy storage and renewable energy system.

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ADELAIDE company Glaciem Cooling Technologies has won $2 million in federal funding to evaluate the commercial viability of its “revolutionary” cooling solution for the refrigeration industry.

The technology, which integrates thermal energy storage with renewable energy, is aimed at significantly reducing energy costs and lowering greenhouse gas emissions produced by the world’s heating and cooling industry.

As part of the funding, Glaciem will field test its thermal energy storage solution in commercial and industrial settings, with organisations including Pernod Ricard and Ceravolo Orchards.

The funding is part of Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s (ARENA) Advancing Renewables program.

Glaciem chief executive Julian Hudson said the company could play a “critical role” in the nation’s renewable energy transition.

“The development of this technology represents the culmination of many years of collaboration between government, academia and business to bring about important change in the HVAC&R (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration) industry worldwide,” he said.

“With thermal energy storage and smart controls we can dramatically reduce business energy costs and increase the value proposition and uptake for renewables in the sector – helping businesses both locally and nationally work towards their carbon neutrality targets.

“Our thermal energy storage is the first solution of its kind in our industry that can provide an environmentally-friendly alternative energy source that’s cost effective and efficient.”

Developed by Glaciem in collaboration with the University of South Australia, the thermal energy storage system stores and discharges energy by heating and melting phase change materials.

The energy can be used to both cool and heat in HVAC&R applications.

As part of the ARENA project, Glaciem will use new refrigerants such as CO2 and ammonia rather than commonly used synthetic alternatives.

It will also trial an advanced control and forecasting algorithm that delivers cheaper operating costs by analysing solar output forecasts, market spot price forecasts and tariff structures.

Based at UniSA’s Mawson Lakes campus, Glaciem is leading a shift away from HFC (hydrofluorocarbons) refrigerants to the “non-toxic, efficient and cost-effective” alternative – CO2.

The Bend Motorsport Park at Tailem Bend has introduced Glaciem’s technology, using a C02-based integrated cooling system as an alternative to the HFC-based equivalent.

The HVAC&R industry currently uses around 22 per cent of Australia’s energy and is under scrutiny for its environmental impact – accounting for 11 per cent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The annual energy spend of the industry is more than $14 billion.