Energy transition and environmental sustainability in large commercial systems. A research project example

Building energy consumption reduction to achieve energy independence and environmental sustainability is a key objective. In particular, the large-scale food retail trade sector accounts for over 15% of total primary energy consumption in Europe, making the commercial system a great opportunity for energy efficiency in the perspective of the energy transition. This work aims to investigate the energy and environmental performance patterns within large-scale food retail trade building-plant systems in the Mediterranean area. The goal is to assess the potential energy saving and environmental impact benefits when implementing retrofit solutions in large-scale food retail trade buildings. Therefore, starting from the analysis of buildings and systems data to identify representative prototype cases, data on real energy consumption and building usage are collected. Thereafter, dynamic simulation is used to monitor the improved building-plant system efficiency due to the proposed retrofits. The basic criterion is the implementation of an interactive network among key elements, enabling a quantitative and systemic assessment of intervention potential and operational development for energy transition. A representative case study retail building is investigated to assess the impact of different energy retrofit interventions. Some crucial strategies are evaluated: (i) high insulation of building envelope through environmentally friendly materials, (ii) integration of photovoltaic (PV) panels in the building and in the suitable external areas (iii) replacement of the existing internal and external lighting systems with LED technology, (iv) waste heat recovery from the refrigeration cycle for air-conditioning, and (v) systematic substitution of refrigeration units with the adoption of novel natural refrigerants. The study gauges the energy and environmental benefits derived from the proposed solutions focusing on the implementation in the Mediterranean climate context. The outcomes not only provide a robust foundation for decision-making processes aimed at optimizing the energy efficiency of large-scale food retail trade buildings but also underscore the importance of customizing these solutions to the unique requirements posed by the variability of climate conditions.