Schneider Electric to Deliver Microgrid for Distribution Center in Finland

Schneider Electric will deliver an industrial microgrid in southern Finland to serve a distribution center run by Lidl, a German-based grocery store chain.

Described by Schneider as Finland’s largest industrial microgrid, the project will use 100 percent renewable energy generated by 1,600 rooftop solar panels.

Located in Järvenpää, the new, large distribution center — the size of 10 football fields — is designed to cut the facility’s energy costs 50 percent.

In addition to providing electricity, the system recovers heat from the distribution center’s refrigeration equipment. The heat will serve the facility and also supply hot water for about 500 homes.

The industrial microgrid also will serve the central electric grid by way of its battery energy storage system. 

“During periods of very cold weather, Finland’s grid can experience peak loads,” said Simo Siitonen, energy management manager at Lidl Finland. “The battery energy storage system implemented at Lidl will enable us to react quickly to these consumption spikes, help reduce the load on the grid, and ensure there is sufficient electricity for everyone in Finland.”

Simo Siitonen added: “Our goal is to build the Nordic countries’ most environmentally-friendly grocery distribution center. Strict energy technical targets have been set for the building’s entire lifecycle. The building is carbon neutral and the energy cost savings goal is over 50 percent.”

The savings come from use of Schneider’s IoT-enabled building automation system and its microgrid management platform, the cloud-based brain that controls and optimizes the system’s energy resources in real time.

Called EcoStuxure Microgrid Advisor, the control platform will allow Lidl to monitor and manage the microgrid’s energy resources and engage in power and heat demand response. The software-as-a-service platform considers such factors as energy use and price, electricity consumption and weather.

Tuomas Qvick, vice president of EcoBuilding & Field Services Finland at Schneider Electric, said that the Lidl Finland microgrid “sets an example for how to build and operate in a sustainable way for the good of the environment. This is significant both nationally and internationally.”

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