Albert Heijn has announced a partnership with AI energy firm Univers, as part of the Dutch retailer’s commitment to sustainability, electrification, and renewable energy integration.
Singapore-based Univers will deploy its microgrid and energy management solutions to optimise the supermarket chain’s energy assets, including EV chargers, solar panels, heat pumps, and battery storage systems.
The retailer said that the initiative is also significant due to its potential to reduce Scope 3 emissions across its supply chain, bolstering its net zero ambitions.
AI for energy
“This strategic collaboration aligns our ‘AI for energy’ expertise with Albert Heijn’s ambitious sustainability goals, highlighting our ability to address the unique needs of end-to-end complex operations that span over different assets, sites, and locations,” commented Michael Ding, global executive director, Univers, “Together, we look forward to setting a new benchmark for how organisations in the Netherlands can achieve operational excellence with the advanced AI and IoT technology.”
Among the solutions that Univers will implement at Albert Heijn is the EnOS Edge Grid Controller, described as a ‘local brain’ for coordinating energy assets, and the cloud-based EnOS AI Microgrid control system.
‘A meaningful contribution’
“Partnering with Univers helps us in making a meaningful contribution to a healthier, more social, and more sustainable society,” commented Rob Heesen, director, business development and partnerships, Albert Heijn.
“This solution will help us in our efforts of electrification and the use of renewable energy throughout our supply chain, which are crucial in achieving our climate goal of net zero by 2050 across the entire chain, from farm to customer.”
Univers boasts more than 1,200 customers globally, managing approximately 788GW of renewables and operating across 280 million connected devices. Read more here.
