Believe it or not, Formula One is not only about racing it’s also a perfect way for new technologies to emerge. One of these is the way we control the direction of air flow. Williams Advanced Engineering have just announced they are about to release a new aerodynamic device that can significantly reduce the energy consumed by refrigerators in supermarkets.
Williams who? Williams Advanced Engineering is a division of Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited, trading in Formula 1 as Williams Martini Racing. Do they race? No, they develop new technologies based on the race cars’ technologies, F1 derived technologies and know-how. Uuu!
Yes, it’s “uuu”-worthy to be honest since the idea is quite impressive. Williams’ division has collaborated with UK start-up Aerofoil Energy to develop a new device that controls the direction of air flow. The point is to keep the cold air inside the fridge, thus saving energy. This way, obviously, grocery stores, supermarkets and convenience stores save serious amounts of cash, make the consumer’s experience more pleasant, and protect the environment.
“Aerofoil Energy and Williams are developing a new retrofittable aerofoil system that attaches to each refrigerator shelf to keep more of the cool air inside the refrigerator cabinet. This innovative technology will result in significant energy savings for supermarkets and convenience stores, with corresponding benefits for their carbon footprint,” Williams explained in a statement.
"Yeah right, like that’s going to happen anytime soon", we can almost hear you saying. Well, believe it or not it already does. According to Williams Advanced Engineering, a number of supermarkets are already evaluating the new technology with promising results.
Sainsbury’s, the UK’s second largest supermarket chain operating 1,100 stores, has been testing the product for a number of its stores. The retailer is using 1% of UK’s energy in total, but that is about to change since they are planning to reduce 30% of its its absolute operational carbon emissions by 2020. Their plans make for a good reason to use the new technology as soon as possible.
Yes, people, F1 technology used to keep your food fresh. How cool is that, right?
Yes, it’s “uuu”-worthy to be honest since the idea is quite impressive. Williams’ division has collaborated with UK start-up Aerofoil Energy to develop a new device that controls the direction of air flow. The point is to keep the cold air inside the fridge, thus saving energy. This way, obviously, grocery stores, supermarkets and convenience stores save serious amounts of cash, make the consumer’s experience more pleasant, and protect the environment.
“Aerofoil Energy and Williams are developing a new retrofittable aerofoil system that attaches to each refrigerator shelf to keep more of the cool air inside the refrigerator cabinet. This innovative technology will result in significant energy savings for supermarkets and convenience stores, with corresponding benefits for their carbon footprint,” Williams explained in a statement.
"Yeah right, like that’s going to happen anytime soon", we can almost hear you saying. Well, believe it or not it already does. According to Williams Advanced Engineering, a number of supermarkets are already evaluating the new technology with promising results.
Sainsbury’s, the UK’s second largest supermarket chain operating 1,100 stores, has been testing the product for a number of its stores. The retailer is using 1% of UK’s energy in total, but that is about to change since they are planning to reduce 30% of its its absolute operational carbon emissions by 2020. Their plans make for a good reason to use the new technology as soon as possible.
Yes, people, F1 technology used to keep your food fresh. How cool is that, right?