Breweries are among some of the most energy-intensive commercial operations, using electricity for everything from mashing and boiling to cooling and fermentation. Installing a solar PV system helps tackle this energy challenge head-on, with big wins for sustainability, resilience, and your bottom line, explains Andrew Powell, managing director at Greencap Energy.
Let’s be clear – solar PV makes sense for breweries. Firstly, abundant rooftop space equals powerful clean energy. Most breweries have large flat roofs—ideal for hosting substantial solar arrays. These systems can generate a significant chunk of daily electricity, especially during peak daylight hours.
Lower running costs also means faster payback. With solar equipment costs falling by 90% since 2011, breweries are seeing payback periods drop to roughly three to four years in some UK cases.
Why Batteries Are a Game Changer
Breweries don’t just use power during the day—great brewing often happens overnight. That’s where battery storage becomes essential:
Bridge the sun-to-beer gap: Excess electricity generated can be stored in batteries and used later during night shifts or early morning brews—exactly when solar isn’t producing.
Slash demand charges: Charging batteries overnight on lower tariffs and discharging during daytime peaks can significantly reduce costly utility charges.
Boost resilience: In the event of outages, some breweries can continue to run critical systems off there solar and battery storage.
Streamlined integration: With smart inverters and energy management systems, batteries intuitively balance solar, storage, and grid input—no manual tweaking needed.
When it comes to solar and battery integration there are some steps to consider.
Do an energy audit: Map your hourly energy use—especially overnight—to properly size the needed solar array.
Design for your demand profile: Match system output and battery capacity to your most intensive production times.
Explore funding & incentives: Look into government grants and other funding options.
Communicate with your solar PV installer: Have them help you set up the monitoring on the system so you can get the most out your system by setting up automated battery charging.
For breweries, solar PV combined with battery storage is a strategic investment—cutting costs, increasing resilience, and aligning with customer values. Whether your operation is micro or regional, this clean-energy setup can power both your brewing tanks and your sustainability ambitions.
