American beer giant Anheuser-Busch is having solar energy systems installed at eight of its breweries in the craft business unit.
Project developer ForeFront Power will handle duties on delivering the solar energy for the Brewers Collective sites. ForeFront Power previously has installed solar at numerous breweries for Anheiser-Busch in New York, Michigan, Colorado, Virginia, Arizona, Texas and Oregon.
Altogether, those solar energy systems total 2.4 MW in direct current capacity. The clean energy alternative will help the brewing company avoid more than two million pounds of carbondioxide annually.
“Many craft breweries are more than production facilities; they are now major tourist destinations and community hubs,” said Michael Smith, CEO of ForeFront Power. “On-site solar generation can not only substantially reduce utility costs, but also serve as a tangible demonstration of a brewery’s environmental stewardship and commitment to taking climate action.”
ForeFront installed a 377-kW rooftop solar array at Goose Island’s Barrel House in Chicago. At Long Island’s Blue Point Brewing Co., ForeFront installed a 217-kW rooftop solar at the Patchogue, New York, site.
Anheiser-Busch has taken numerous steps to decarbonize its operations in the U.S., including energy efficiency upgrades. For example, it has tried a new solution with battery-less steam trap monitoring at its Cartersville, Georgia, brewery.
Eventually, the battery-less solution was deployed on 25 percent of of its steam trap. The result was a 1.2-percent cut in energy use, resulting in a carbon reduction of close to 7,600 metric tons per year.