Sun brings savings for sustainable brewing in Brunswick
Brunswick beer is now being made more sustainably with the introduction of a roof full of solar panels at Temple Brewing Co.
Saving over 15% of the brewery’s energy use, the solar initiative is already proving its cost-effectiveness and benefiting the environment.
“Having solar panels on the roof has been a huge win for us at Temple,” says Managing Director Nicholas Pang.
“One of the largest costs of a brewery is the cost of electricity and the solar panels are delivering between 15% to 30% savings to us,” Pang continues. “The ability to brew sustainably is very much a part of our ethos and we’re so excited that this will now become the norm for us as we continue grow and produce larger quantities of good beer!”
When the sun comes out, the demand for beer increases. Due to the quantity of craft beers produced on site, the brewery has a high power demand. Temple’s objective was to generate as much solar energy as possible. Energy Reductions designed and installed a 30kWp system that was able to offset some 30% of their energy requirements.
“From the consultation process through to installment, Energy Reductions and its partner ZAPD Energy offered a professional, hands-on solution with minimal disruption to Temple’s day-to-day operations,” says Pang. “It made the decision to install solar one we’d easily recommend to other businesses.”
According to forecasts the 30kWp system installed at Temple Brewing Co. would pay for itself in less than 6 years, reducing the microbrewery’s carbon footprint and operating costs. Return on Investment after one year is estimated to be 16% based on current electricity tariff rates.
Temple Brewing Co’s commitment to sustainability is an extension of its dedication to finding the best ingredients and ways of doing things, as well as its commitment to community. To conserve water the microbrewery captures steam from the brewing process and directs it back into water tanks for brewing. The effort to repurpose by-products also sees the Temple team giving its spent grain to local farmers who then use it as stock feed.
With the solar panels and sustainability efforts showing already exhibiting positive results, Pang hopes other businesses recognise the benefits and follow suit.
Source: Temple Brewing Co, 20th November 2015
