As published in COLDFACTS: July-August 2020; www.gcca.org

Since the invention of the transport refrigeration unit (TRU) in 1935 revolutionized the temperature-controlled, over-the-road shipping business, not much has changed about the way it has been powered. Today, the industry is transformed by new offerings leveraging alternative sources of power. PLM, a leader in lease, rental and maintenance service for hybrid refrigeration transport equipment and GridMarket, an AI-powered clean energy project facilitator, have partnered to provide efficient, profitable energy solutions for refrigerated fleets, warehouses and distribution centers.  PLM is introducing the Advanced Energy Management (AEM), an all-electric transport TRU.

Mike Marshall, Vice President of Sales at PLM says, “There is no diesel tank on the unit, it is powered 100 per-cent from electricity and solar with the capabilities of maintaining a full load of ice cream in a 53-foot trailer at minus 10° to minus 20° F.” With interest and advancements in electric cars and trucks, there is now a green solution for the TRU industry that governments and utilities are encouraging through incentive programs for energy infra-structure modernizations for facilities and TRU fleets. GridMarket helps facility operators identify and maximize opportunities to reap the financial, resiliency and environmental benefits of distributed energy resources (DER). The GridMarket Platform recommends best-fit energy solutions and sources project partners through its managed marketplace of top-tier technology providers and financiers. “Given high energy costs, large footprints and pressure to meet sustain-ability targets, both on-site and through supply chains, cold storage facilities are ideally positioned to benefit from DERs,” notes Oisín O’Brien, GridMarket’s Vice President of Analytics and

Project Development. “It is a daunting road to navigate the complexities of these incentive pro-grams for fleets and facility infrastructure, available within a limited time-frame, so companies should consider doing this now,” Marshall explains. “The synergies created by combining fleet electrification with on-site generation made this PLM-GridMarket collaboration a natural partnership,” adds O’Brien. Need to reduce your cost of operation? PLM and GridMarket are offering a complimentary opportunity assessment summarizing anticipated economic value, carbon reduction and resiliency benefits from facility and fleet electrification. Contact PLM’s Mike Marshall at mmarshall@plmfleet.com