Anheuser-Busch announced this week that its brewery in Fairfield, California now uses six acres of photovoltaic panels to generate about 3 percent of the facility's electric needs, or 1.2 megawatts in total. That solar installation is part of an agreement with SunEdison, which installed and operates the panels.
The brewing company reports that it has cut down on its natural gas consumption by creating biofuel from nutrients in its brewing wastewater. Overall, the company says that renewable energy will account for more than 15 percent of its power consumption at U.S. breweries by the end of this year, equivalent to about one in seven of each beer brewed.
Also this week, Del Monte Foods announced that it has dedicated two solar energy arrays that will generate 1.9 megawatts to help power two of its manufacturing plants in California. The company says that this new facility is the largest solar roof system in the state's Central Valley area, and that it expects to save $25 million on electric costs over the expected 30-year lifetime of the panels.
Energy savings from the Del Monte installation are expected to be equivalent to planting 9,800 acres of trees, saving carbon emissions comparable to driving about 1 billion miles on California roads.
