WV breweries go solar

Can you believe we have West Virginia beer being brewed in part with solar power. That is quite a dramatic departure in a state known for its reliance on fossil fuels. Big Timber Brewing in Elkins and The Peddler in Huntington have both installed large banks of solar panels that power part of their brewery operations.

Big Timber grabs a ray of sunshine

A few years ago, Matt Kwasniewski was planning the rehab of a building that would become Big Timber Brewing’s new production facility. He heard about some federal funding to support energy efficiency upgrades for small businesses in rural areas. Since he already planned to do some major energy efficiency upgrades to the old 1920s-era structure that they were converting into a new brewing production space, he looked into it.

The needed upgrades were substantial and expensive. Along with putting on a new well-insulated roof, high-tech heated and insulated concrete floor, and new low-E windows, they also wanted energy efficient HVAC and an efficient refrigeration chiller that they needed to keep their packaged beer cold. There were many things to consider. While Matt was a self-described fan of renewable energy, solar power was not initially something that he had in the building requirements list.

‘We wanted to build it right and make it as energy efficient as possible,” Matt says. But being in Elkins where days of full sunshine are pretty limited, he hadn’t really thought solar power would make good economic sense. He had a lot to learn.

He met with the folks from the federal Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and discovered some very attractive possibilities. REAP grants and loan guarantees may be used for the purchase, installation and construction of energy efficiency improvements, such as:

• High efficiency heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC).
• Insulation.
• Lighting.
• Cooling or refrigeration units.
• Doors and windows,
• Energy-efficient equipment,
• Solar power generation, and more.

The REAP-eligible items were pretty much all things Matt needed to do anyway. And then, there was the solar power generation. Kwasniewski says the REAP program folks looked at his project and promoted the consideration of the solar power option. This got him to look into it more closely. What he discovered was that there have been a lot of advancements in solar panel technology that now makes it a viable option to West Virginia locations.

Big Timber had consultants come over and check out their location and structure for its suitability for solar. The report turned out surprisingly good, says Matt. Another surprise was finding out the solar panels they make today should have a life-expectancy of 50 to 60 years, with low maintenance along the way.

Matt says the more he researched it, “Solar just made more and more sense.”

The REAP rules allow the combined grant and loan guarantee funding to cover up to a pretty high percentage of the total eligible costs depending on funds available, so applying was a no-brainer. While he didn’t get the full amount he applied for, “It was still really good,” Matt said.

Construction of the solar panel installation began in early this October and was finished by the end of the month. In November, it was already producing valuable electricity. Milestone Solar Consultants of Falling Waters, WV did the work using REC panels with Solar Edge components. They used 196 panels covering approximately 5,000 sq. ft. The total project cost for the solar installation was $190,000, of which REAP funds covered approximately $45,000.

As it turned out, the orientation of the new brewery roof is great for solar. “The roof faces east-west,” Matt says. “It gets a lot of contact with the sun. The roof pitch is real shallow, so we can have panels on both sides.”

As for economics, after factoring in the REAP funding, Matt thinks the solar panels will pay for themselves in 12 to 15 years. Year-round, he expects solar power to cover up to two-thirds of their power usage needs. He says that in the middle of summer, with its longer, sunnier days, their panels may produce enough power to totally offset their power usage. The solar panels can produce 92 KW per hour at maximum efficiency.

Matt says from a strictly dollars and cents business perspective it’s hard to tell if adding solar was the best financial decision, “but if you want to be community- and planet-minded, it’s got huge advantages there.”

Next year, when the new taproom is added to the building, they will have more solar panels on that, as well as battery backup, which should allow the taproom to operate even during times when the power grid is down. “That will be a nice bonus,” Matt adds.

The Peddler gets into urban solar

Over in Huntington, Drew Hetzer, owner of The Peddler brewpub, is another one who believes in the total package of benefits that solar power and renewable energy can provide. While business has been good at The Peddler, primarily because they make very good beer and food, Hetzer is not stopping there. He already has plans underway to expand his operations. A piece of those plans is the development of an exciting additional food and beverage business venture in his city.

“Harvesting solar power is so attractive to us because we are developing a green space for our brewery and a social gathering hot spot for those traveling through Huntington,” Hetzer says. The second location will also offer a taproom with food and an outdoor space with activities. 

“We plan on using this location to can, package and distribute our beer so the solar energy will help take some cost off of our electric bill from our coolers and equipment,” Hetzer said. “We are also going to harvest fresh produce indoors through aquaponics and LED grow lights along with an apiary for bees to pollinate and produce honey. We will be able to utilize our own produce and honey at both restaurants Backyard Pizza and The Peddler.”

Teaming up with Solar Holler, another Huntington-based business, to design and install the solar panel system kept most of the project dollars circulating in the local community. They put up 200 REC solar panels on the roof of the building at 418 3rd Avenue in downtown Huntington. The installation is capable of producing over 70,000 kWh of electricity annually.

Hetzer says other appealing aspects of solar power were the savings from feeding sustainable energy back into the grid, tax credits and federal grant money. Their total project cost was $145, 837, of which $28,950 was funded by federal grants and $35,207 is expected to be recovered through tax credits.

The Peddler’s head brewer, Jay Fox, says they are now renovating a section of the new building to add canning operations, cold storage, and brewery distribution operations. He is in the process now of deciding on the packaging equipment to put on order for the new space. While Jay says they are not planning to set up brewing operations in that building anytime soon, he adds, “We are using the energy being generated to offset our costs now.” Look for an opening of the brewery’s new packaging, storage and distribution operations there in summer/fall 2021, with the taproom to be added sometime further out.

Social commitment gives craft breweries payback

What craft breweries across the country are discovering is that their corporate branding is so much more than just the taste of the product they put in the can. It’s equally about their corporate DNA; their community involvement; what they stand for; and what they believe in. Craft beer customers today do pay close attention to things like a brewery’s commitment to caring for our planet, caring our people, and environmental stewardship and social justice. Craft customers are showing that they will pay more to support those brands and will be more loyal to them.

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LINKS

Milestone Solar Consultants
Solar Holler
Rural Energy for America Program, USDA