Image: Moorhouse’s Brewery.
Independent Lancashire brewery Moorhouse’s says it will be able to produce one million pints of solar-powered beer each year after installing a 50kWp system on its main roof.
The 169-panel installation was completed at the brewery in Burnley two weeks ago by Energy Gain UK and is expected to produce 42,000kWh of electricity per annum, all of which will be used on site.
Following another record breaking summer, which saw solar overtake gas as the country’s number one form of energy for a short period at the end of June, Moorhouse’s managing director Lee Williams said the business was ready to play its part in boosting sustainability.
“This is all about our commitment to reduce our carbon emissions and investing in renewable energy like this is a key part of our strategy,” he said.
“Quite rightly there is a greater expectation from consumers for companies to act more responsibly and they can now make a positive difference through the beer they drink, without compromising on quality. The power generated from the new solar panels will help the brewery to brew in a more sustainable way for years to come.”
Moorhouse’s Brewery is the latest to turn to solar to power its operations, with global brands doing the same as part of their own sustainability strategies. In 2016 Heineken revealed it utilised solar PV more than any other technology to increase the share of renewables in its energy mix, having installed 13MW at its breweries around the world at the time.
Meanwhile, Carlsberg last year said solar was one of the main sources of its clean electricity procurement, in addition to the installations it had carried out on its facilities in India and China.