Duke Energy and Firestone Walker Brewing Company have completed one of the largest on-site solar arrays in the craft beer industry: a 2.1 MW solar array and 281 kWsolar carport on 9.7 acres in Paso Robles, Calif. The arrays will generate the majority of the brewery’s energy, which is enough to brew and bottle 6 million cases of beer annually. REC Solar designed and built the solar project, and Duke Energy Renewables provided Firestone Walker financing through a 25-year power purchase agreement.
“REC Solar and Duke Energy Renewables have been solid partners throughout this process. They helped us unlock our vision for ‘beer brewed with sunshine,’ and methodically executed the complex entitlements, engineering and installation of the array. It was as painless a process as we could have hoped,” said David Walker, co-owner of Firestone Walker Brewing Company.
“Now more than ever, companies are powering their businesses using renewable energy to ensure sustainability and reduce carbon emissions,” said Chris Fallon, president of Duke Energy Renewables. “Duke Energy is uniquely positioned to offer sustainable solutions that meet the important needs of our customers. We’re proud to work with Firestone Walker to deliver an on-site solar solution and offer financing that will address their needs for decades to come.”
The solar array, which is located adjacent to the brewery in Paso Robles, Calif., features ground-mounted single-axis trackers and is projected to generate 4,055 MWh of electricity in its first year. The second 281 kW array consists of a solar carport spanning 14,000 square feet just south of the brewery, increasing the brewery’s total solar production to 4,570 MWh of electricity generated in its first year. In its entirety, the solar installation is enough to offset 3,231 metric tons of carbon emissions.
