Each can of XXXX will bring extra sunshine to Aussies from now on, thanks to a new rooftop solar power system on the Castlemaine Perkins brewery in Brisbane’s Milton suburb.
XXXX owner Lion announced earlier this year that the project, which cost $2 million, was complete and that the 2,000-panel, 690kW installation will generate almost 1.4 million kWh of clean brewing power each year.
From one big yellow wheel to another
For a century, the Milton Road brewery site has been dominated by a big yellow wheel. Installed in 1919, this flywheel powered the refrigeration unit and was itself powered by DC electricity from the Brisbane tram system until 1926. Between 1926 and 1972 the flywheel ran on AC power before it was decommissioned.
Even though the brewery is moving into the future and is using another big yellow object for power, it’s retaining this symbol of its past and plans to keep the flywheel in place as a reminder of how much progress it’s making. The brewery, founded in 1878, is a prominent landmark and is one of Queensland’s biggest icons.
Reducing the carbon footprint
The XXXX solar installation will cut the brewery’s carbon emissions by 7%, or around 1,260 tonnes, a year.
Lots of other Aussie breweries are turning to the sun
XXXX isn’t the only brewery to reduce its carbon emissions. Carlton United Breweries in Melbourne has started a 12-year power purchase agreement with Victoria’s Karadoc Solar Farm which will supply it with 74 mWh each year.
The smaller, craft brewers are also getting in on the solar act, too, with Sydney’s Young Henrys installing a new 30 kW system, while Helios Brewing in Brisbane now has 18.7 kW worth of solar. Grand Ridge Brewery and Stomping Ground, both in Victoria, have 100 kW each, while Van Dieman Brewing in Tasmania has 48 kW.
Now there’s even less reason to feel guilty about cracking open a cold one when the mercury rises…
