6 craft breweries pairing solar power with suds

As the number of craft breweries in the U.S. continues to grow, with more than 9,000 counted in 2021 by the Brewers Association, companies are looking for ways to stand apart from the competition. One strategy gaining popularity is investing in onsite renewable energy. Many breweries use “solar-powered beer” as a marketing tool and sometimes even name certain brews after solar power, like Minnesota brewery Invictus Brewing Company’s new “1.7 Million Megawatts Summer Ale.”

Here are six breweries that have added solar power in the last few years.

SunCommon completed Vermont's largest solar canopy for craft brewery Lawson's Finest Liquids in April 2022. The new canopy in Waitsfield complements the existing rooftop solar system and independent wastewater management system. Both solar installations will now offset about 60% of the brewery’s electric bill.

Renovus Solar installed a 200-kW array on the roof of Ithaca Beer Company in 2018. The New York brewery went solar to lower its electricity costs after doubling its square footage a few years prior.

Eagle Solar & Light installed a 125.28-kW rooftop solar system on the rooftop of Ferus Artisan Ales in Trussville, Alabama, in May 2021. The company celebrated being the first brewery in the state to be powered by solar.

Rock Art Brewery, based in Morrisville, Vermont, worked with SunCommon to add a 67-kW array to the brewery's rooftop in 2017. The family-owned company released a commemorative beer to go with the installation called the "Sun Rocked IPA."

Nationally distributed brewery Lagunitas Brewing Company chose Westcoast Solar Energy to build out a large, multi-faceted solar portfolio for its California brewing operations in August 2021. The $5 million, 2.1-MW solar project offsets 60% of the brewery’s energy use.

Duke Energy installed a 2.1-MW ground-mount solar array and 281-kW solar carport for California craft brewery Firestone Walker Brewing in January 2021. The onsite solar installations in Paso Robles will generate the majority of the brewery’s energy, which is enough to brew and bottle 6 million cases of beer annually.