From trailer refrigeration to fleet electrification, exploring the energy needs of a temperature-controlled distribution hub.
Keep goods cold.
Keep vehicles moving.
Plan energy around the whole operation.
Sherwood Power led a feasibility study at a Sainsbury's temperature-controlled distribution hub.
The published study explored replacing diesel power for trailer refrigeration units with electrical docking connections during loading and while awaiting dispatch. A central question was how much additional electricity capacity the site would require.
The wider operational challenge extends beyond the loading dock. Electrifying yard vehicles and delivery fleets adds to the energy requirements of refrigeration plant, air conditioning and steam sterilisation.
Considering these demands together helps establish when energy is needed, which loads coincide and how supply, storage and site infrastructure could support the transition.
Refrigeration, transport and heat demand all shape the site's energy requirements.
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Explore electrical supply for diesel-powered refrigeration trailers during loading and while awaiting dispatch, keeping goods cold without relying on the trailer's diesel refrigeration unit during those periods.
Plan the transition from diesel-powered on-site tractor shunters, including Terberg vehicles, to electric alternatives. Charging needs must fit around vehicle movements and operational schedules.
Assess charging requirements across articulated lorries up to 44 tonnes, rigid lorries over 7.5 tonnes, mid-sized trucks from 3.5 to 7.5 tonnes, and last-mile delivery vehicles.
Different routes, dwell times and departure schedules create different demands on the site's energy supply.
Include the internal screw compressor refrigeration plant in the energy assessment. Its operating requirements need to be considered alongside new vehicle charging and trailer refrigeration loads.
Bring air conditioning units into the whole-site demand profile, including how their electricity requirements vary and overlap with refrigeration and transport operations.
Steam sterilisation of reusable food containers creates a high heat demand. Sherwood can supply steam through an appropriately configured system, with temperature, pressure and output matched to the process requirements.
These wider priorities describe the operational needs to consider. They are not presented as completed installations or as outcomes covered by the published trailer-refrigeration study figures below.
Changing the equipment is only part of the question.
Trailer refrigeration, shunter charging, road vehicles, refrigeration plant and air conditioning may all need electricity at overlapping times. Steam sterilisation adds a separate heat requirement to the picture.
A practical energy strategy considers operating schedules, peak demand, available renewable supply and the limits of the site's connection, alongside the heat and cooling needs of the operation.
Where energy storage is appropriate, the FAB's Generate | Bank | Use approach offers a way to bank surplus renewable energy on site for later use. Renewable electricity can come from on-site generation, the grid or both.
The system configuration should reflect the site's electrical and thermal requirements, with opportunities for steam and other useful outputs assessed alongside electricity storage.
Storage does not increase the physical capacity of a grid connection or guarantee that an upgrade can be avoided. Its role must be assessed for the particular site.
Explore the Free Air BankFeasibility findings, not measured post-installation results.
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The published study identified a 500 kW capacity increase to support the proposed switch to electrical trailer refrigeration at the dock.
Potential annual carbon savings reported in the trailer-refrigeration study, dependent on the electricity source.
*Up to 2,850 tonnes CO₂e annually; not measured operational savings.
The proposed connection would power trailer refrigeration during loading and before dispatch.
Figures are taken from Sherwood Power's published project account and relate to the trailer-refrigeration proposal. They do not represent the combined requirements or savings of the wider site priorities, or verified savings from an installed FAB system.
The published account names Imperial Consultants and Colehouse Communications among the project partners.
Bringing the right expertise into the conversation helps connect operational needs, engineering requirements and commercial priorities.
A whole-site view brings transport, refrigeration and facilities requirements into the same energy discussion, rather than treating each change as an isolated project.
Meet SherwoodTalk to us about refrigeration, fleet charging, steam demand or your wider electrification plans. Let's explore the requirements together and establish where the FAB could fit.