Edible-ice factory for Instant Ice at Ovidiu — a facility located 15 km from Constanta, sized to support the summer consumption of the Romanian seaside. With a built area of approximately 3,600 sqm, the complex exploits a technological coincidence rarely used in the industry: the production peak of photovoltaic panels overlaps with the energy-consumption peak of the refrigeration installation — a synchronization that makes solar energy the optimal solution for this typology.

Challenges

The project required integrating, on an atypically shaped plot (an elongated triangle with access from a national road), a production and storage hall at -20 °C, the refrigeration infrastructure and a significant photovoltaic-capture surface. Added to this was sizing for a client with strongly seasonal activity — the production and consumption peak concentrates in the summer months, exactly when solar radiation is at its maximum.

Solutions

• Photovoltaics sized for synchronization with the thermal load. An installation on the hall roof complemented by a ground park of approximately 3,000 sqm on the north-western side of the plot. The logic is not one of "green image" but technological: the solar-production peak (long days, intense sunshine) coincides with the consumption peak of the refrigeration installation (summer season, high outdoor temperatures, maximum demand on the coast). The energy produced is consumed on the spot, at the moment it is needed.
• Technological mix for energy efficiency. Heat pumps, chiller, air-handling unit and an electricity-storage reserve — a combination that allows optimization of consumption between the production, storage and delivery cycles.
• Thermal envelope for storage at -20 °C. The frozen-storage zone compartments are built with sandwich panels with 20 cm thick PIR foam — calibrated to maintain the temperature with minimal losses, under the Dobrogea climate with long, hot summers.

Result

For Instant Ice, a factory ready to support the peak demand of the Romanian seaside, with an energy strategy that exploits the technological coincidence between demand and supply. For PPAE, a project that confirms the team's ability to deliver industrial buildings where architectural and technical choices are subordinated to the client's business logic.

Do you have an investment in a seasonal food factory, a cold-storage warehouse or a facility with an integrated energy strategy? The PPAE team can support your project from concept to completion. Contact us