CryoHub · Project

Store Renewable Energy as Liquid Air and Use It to Cool Warehouses

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Imagine you could turn excess wind or solar power into super-cold liquid air, store it in a tank, and then use it two ways: to keep your warehouse freezing cold and to spin a turbine when the grid needs power back. That's exactly what CryoHub built. Refrigerated food warehouses already burn massive amounts of electricity for cooling and throw off a lot of waste heat — so CryoHub uses both of those to make the whole cycle far more efficient than previous attempts. Think of it as a giant rechargeable battery made of liquid air, sitting right where you already need the cold.

By the numbers

consortium partners involved in development

countries represented in the project

industry partners in the consortium

58%

industry participation ratio

20%

EU renewable energy target by 2020 that CryoHub addresses

total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Refrigerated warehouses are among the biggest industrial electricity consumers, yet they waste enormous amounts of heat from their equipment. At the same time, renewable energy sources produce power unpredictably — too much when demand is low, too little at peak hours. Existing energy storage technologies like batteries don't easily integrate with industrial cooling needs, leaving warehouse operators paying premium electricity rates while their waste heat goes unused.

The solution

What was built

CryoHub built and installed a complete Liquid Air Energy Storage (LAES) system at a real refrigerated warehouse, including all instrumentation for monitoring and performance validation. The system was tested against design predictions, with 23 deliverables produced covering the full technology chain from cryogen liquefaction to storage, distribution, and energy recovery.

Audience

Who needs this

Large cold storage and frozen food warehouse operators looking to cut energy costsEnergy utilities seeking grid-scale storage solutions that pair with renewable generationIndustrial refrigeration system integrators wanting to offer energy recovery featuresFood production companies with large refrigeration loads and sustainability targetsRenewable energy developers needing demand-side storage partners

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Cold chain logistics and frozen food storage

enterprise

Target: Operators of large refrigerated warehouses and cold storage facilities

If you are a cold storage operator dealing with rising electricity costs and pressure to use more renewables — this project developed and tested a Liquid Air Energy Storage system installed directly at a refrigerated warehouse. It stores excess renewable energy as liquid air, then uses it for both cooling your facility and generating electricity during peak demand, recovering waste heat your equipment already produces.

Renewable energy and grid services

enterprise

Target: Energy utilities and grid balancing service providers

If you are an energy company struggling with intermittent renewable supply and the need for large-scale grid storage — this project demonstrated cryogenic energy storage that absorbs excess generation and returns it at peak demand. The system was installed and tested at an industrial site with 19 consortium partners across 6 countries validating performance.

Industrial refrigeration equipment

mid-size

Target: Manufacturers and integrators of industrial cooling systems

If you are an industrial refrigeration company looking to differentiate with energy-efficient solutions — this project built a complete cryogenic storage system that integrates with existing warehouse cooling infrastructure. With 11 industry partners involved in development and testing, the technology is designed for real-world industrial environments, not just labs.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to install a CryoHub system at my facility?

The project data does not include specific cost figures or pricing models. However, the system was designed for large refrigerated warehouses with significant installed cooling and heating capacity. Contact the consortium for site-specific cost estimates based on your facility size and energy profile.

Can this work at industrial scale or is it still a lab concept?

This went well beyond the lab. The project delivered a fully installed CryoHub system at a refrigerated warehouse and food production facility, complete with instrumentation. The system was then tested against design performance predictions, making this a demonstrated industrial-scale pilot.

What is the IP situation — can I license this technology?

As a Horizon 2020 Innovation Action with 19 partners including 11 industry players and 4 SMEs, IP arrangements would have been defined in the consortium agreement. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the relevant technology owners in the consortium, led by London South Bank University.

Does this actually improve round-trip efficiency compared to existing energy storage?

The core problem the project addressed was that previous cryogenic energy storage had poor round-trip efficiency due to unrecovered energy losses. CryoHub was specifically designed to maximize efficiency by recovering energy from both cooling and heating cycles at the warehouse. The tested system was checked against design performance predictions.

How mature is this technology — when could I deploy it?

The project ran as an Innovation Action from 2016 to 2021, with the system physically installed and tested at a real warehouse facility. The LAES system was checked against design performance predictions, with discrepancies investigated. This places it at the pilot-demonstrated stage, likely needing engineering optimization before full commercial rollout.

Which countries have validated this system?

The consortium spans 6 countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Spain, France, Poland, and the UK. With 19 partners including 11 from industry, the technology has been evaluated across multiple European regulatory and climate contexts.

Consortium

Who built it

CryoHub assembled a strong industry-heavy consortium of 19 partners across 6 countries, with 58% industry participation — well above average for EU research projects. The 11 industry partners and 4 SMEs signal that this technology was developed with commercial deployment in mind, not just academic publication. London South Bank University coordinated, bringing together 4 universities and 2 research organizations to handle the science, while the industry majority focused on real-world installation and testing. The geographic spread across Belgium, Bulgaria, Spain, France, Poland, and the UK covers key European cold chain markets and diverse energy grid conditions.

LONDON SOUTH BANK UNIVERSITY LBGCoordinator · UK
NV MAYEKAWA EUROPE SAparticipant · BE
INSTITUT INTERNATIONAL DU FROIDparticipant · FR
THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAMparticipant · UK
EUREC EESVparticipant · BE
PSUTEC SPRLparticipant · BE
FUNDACION CENERparticipant · ES
INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE POUR L'AGRICULTURE, L'ALIMENTATION ET L'ENVIRONNEMENTparticipant · FR
CRANFIELD UNIVERSITYparticipant · UK
L AIR LIQUIDE SAparticipant · FR
TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOFIAparticipant · BG

How to reach the team

London South Bank University (UK) coordinated this project. SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to the right person on the CryoHub team.

Order a report on this consortium See LONDON SOUTH BANK UNIVERSITY LBG profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore whether liquid air energy storage fits your cold chain operations? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the CryoHub team and provide a tailored feasibility brief for your facility.

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