Australia and a good beer are an unbeatable combo, and craft breweries throughout the country are booming. But a lot of work is required to keep operational costs down and production quality up - the right energy mix is critical.
According to Dept.
of Environment, Water, Land and Planning, some of the most critical energy
considerations for breweries are refrigeration and tank storage, which can
consume half the total energy usage, and then packaging, compressed air, pumps,
hot water and steam, fans, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning)
lighting, and other equipment.
Another important consideration is how energy efficient the manufacturing and
production equipment is. There’s a lot of fermenting, filling, milling and
mashing required. Many breweries are now embracing renewable energy solutions
for more sustainable and financially viable options.
Australian brewery Little Creatures (of Fremantle and Geelong) have added
a 1,200
KWh cogeneration systems to their new brewery in a state of the art
manufacturing site in Geelong. These systems will provide a large portion of
the brewery’s electricity and hot water demands and will reduce energy
consumption and emissions. Breweries like Byron Bay’s Stone & Wood and
Manly Beach’s Four Pines have a committed focus on sustainability which has
earned them B Corp Accreditation (they are currently the only two breweries in
Australia to have that status). According to The
Crafty Pint, B Corp status is an accreditation given by the not-for-profit
B Lab when businesses meet certain standards of social and environmental
performance, accountability and transparency.
Even the giant players are getting in on the renewable energy action. In 2018,
Carlton & United Breweries (CUB), took a significant step towards sourcing
100 per cent of its electricity from renewables by signing a 12-year
PowerPurchase Agreement (PPA) with German renewable energy developer, service
provider and wholesaler, BayWa r.e. They will provide 74,000 MWh per year
(enough to power 7,500 homes) of renewable energy sourced from its solar farm
in Mildura, Victoria.
It’s an exciting time for the beer trade and small businesses. Craft breweries,
much like our local wineries, represent the best of Australia – hardworking
people of all ages and walks of life, forging their passions into reality while
adopting sustainable practices that help their businesses flourish and enrich
the communities they serve.
For all the latest news, insights and analysis from the Australian
energy industry subscribe to our fortnightly
newsletter and download the new Energy Live app on Apple and Android.