Daikin Europe Launches Europe's First CO2-Based VRV System at a Denns BioMarkt Supermarket

Daikin Europe (a subsidiary of Daikin Industries) has put into operation Europe's first VRV system using carbon dioxide (R744) as the refrigerant. The pilot site is a new Denns BioMarkt supermarket in Wiesbaden, Germany. Installation was carried out by German contractor POLARIS R. Laude.

Integration of Two Natural Refrigerants Under a Single BMS

The key feature of the project is a fully integrated cooling and HVAC system on natural refrigerants with unified building management. The controlling element is the building management system (BMS) by WURM, which coordinates three components:

• CO2-based VRV system (Daikin) — heating and air conditioning for the sales floor.
• Multi-compressor Conveni-Pack unit on CO2 (Daikin) — HVAC plus medium-temperature cooling (10 kW) for cold rooms.
• Built-in refrigeration equipment on propane R290 (AHT) — monoblock cabinets for low-temperature cooling.

Thus, two natural refrigerants operate together on a single site: CO2 in the central circuits and R290 in the built-in equipment.

Cooling and Heating Capacity

• CO2-based VRV system: cooling capacity 28 kW, heating capacity 31.5 kW.
• Conveni-Pack unit (with heat recovery): 15 kW of cooling for air conditioning and 22 kW of heating for space heating.

Felix Mule, key account manager at the AHT/Daikin group, noted that the project is an example of what can be achieved when experienced partners jointly bring sustainable solutions to market, and expressed pride in the customer's trust.

Current Lineup and Scaling Plans

At present, Daikin Europe's CO2 VRV range is represented by a single outdoor unit rated at 10 HP (28 kW cooling, 31.5 kW heating). For sites with higher demand, a cascade configuration with multiple outdoor units is available. The catalogue offers two types of indoor units: cooling capacity from 4.5 to 9 kW, heating capacity from 5 to 10 kW.

The company plans to scale the CO2 platform across the entire VRV lineup, including mini-VRV, systems with heat recovery, and chillers/heat pumps. Currently, these systems do not produce hot water; Daikin engineers are developing a domestic hot water function for the next generation of CO2 equipment. The launch of the new ranges is planned for 2028.

According to Daikin Europe, the project demonstrates that a comprehensive natural-refrigerant solution for supermarkets is technically viable and ready to support the next stage of decarbonisation of commercial buildings across Europe.

Source: KrioFrost