Path-Q Solar
How should a business size battery backup for refrigeration that cannot be interrupted?
Answer
Size it from measured refrigeration energy, compressor and other motor startup demand, the required outage duration, allowable temperature rise, and the need for redundancy. A business should design for the critical refrigeration circuits—not just average building demand—and verify that the system can maintain required conditions during extended outages.
Key points
- Measure interval energy and identify compressor, condenser, evaporator, control, alarm, and monitoring loads.
- Account for simultaneous startup, cycling under hot conditions, defrost cycles, and door openings.
- Define the maximum acceptable temperature excursion and recovery requirement.
- Include inverter continuous and surge output, battery usable capacity, reserve, and recharge time.
- Consider staged loads, redundant equipment, generator support, and monitoring alarms.
What it depends on
- Refrigeration equipment and measured duty cycle
- Required temperature and outage duration
- Startup demand and simultaneous operation
- Battery, inverter, recharge, and control capabilities
Risks and trade-offs
- Sizing to average consumption can fail during peak heat or compressor startup.
- Oversizing improves resilience but increases capital cost and may leave unused capacity.
- A battery outage can cause inventory loss if alarms, staff response, or backup charging also fail.
Information you may need
- Refrigeration equipment schedule and interval data
- Temperature and food-safety requirements
- Worst-case outage and recovery scenario
- Proposed load-shedding, monitoring, and backup-source plan
Your next step
What to do next
Obtain a site-specific critical-load study and require the quote to state runtime, startup capability, temperature assumptions, reserve, and alarm arrangements.
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SQ02295