For a major Spanish supermarket chain, maintaining effective refrigeration required an emergency generator set capable of meeting the facility’s demanding requirements.
Genesal Energy has designed a complete solution encompassing not only the equipment itself, but also the installation engineering, its integration into the building and the design of the exhaust gas system.
Key features
*Special 1,000-litre fuel tank integrated into the base frame.
*Power cabinet with a 3,200 A circuit breaker, differential protection and busbars for connection to the customer’s power cables.
*Protective enclosure for two 225 Ah batteries.
*Control panel fitted with a ComAp InteliLite AMF 25 IL4 controller.
*Pump-assisted engine heating system to maintain the engine at the optimum temperature for starting and immediate load acceptance.
*Electronically governed engine.
*Exhaust silencers with 25 dB attenuation.
New regs on refrigeration
New European Union regulations regarding fluorinated gases (F-gases) are currently driving Spanish supermarkets and self-service stores to undertake an accelerated overhaul of their refrigeration systems. ASEDAS, the Spanish association representing distributors and supermarkets, estimates that this transition will require an investment of over €2.5 billion. The association says the timetable set by Regulation (EU) 2024/573, including a 2030 restriction affecting certain refrigeration equipment, is putting pressure on Spanish supermarkets to accelerate upgrades.
This additional financial commitment comes at a time of intense activity for the sector, which had already refurbished 40% of its store network, totalling over 10,500 locations, between 2020 and 2025.
The food distribution sector is urging for a review that is more adjusted to the state of technology: the availability of alternative solutions that ensure the viability of all operators and the appropriate F-gases. Beyond the financial commitment, the industry faces two major logistical challenges in meeting the regulatory timetable. First, Spain faces a structural deficit of nearly 10,000 qualified refrigeration technicians. While demand for specialised work has surged by 30% due to the transition, the workforce is growing by only 5-10%, according to the Association of Refrigeration Companies and their Technologies (AEFYT).
ASEDAS warns that the EU’s tightening HFC quota could constrain supplies of some transitional refrigerants, and says some commonly used gases are already becoming harder to source, complicating maintenance of existing equipment while stores upgrade their systems. While it supports the EU’s long-term sustainability goals, the association has called for a more realistic and orderly transition timeline that takes into account the specific cooling needs of hot climates like Spain’s.
More from
Gensets
