Popular Mechanics (8/4, Trimble) – To maintain precision on a large scale, beer companies like New Belgium, Brooklyn Brewery and Peak Organic have focused on refining their processes to be as energy-efficient and waste-free—in other words, sustainable—as possible. California's Sierra Nevada brewery has spent 30 years perfecting the formula. We sat down to talk with Ken Grossman, the founder and CEO of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, about how they brew a greener beer.
PM: How self-sufficient is Sierra Nevada?
KG: We are 100 percent [self-sufficient] or selling back to the grid at sunlight hours. Overall, we're close to 90 percent with fuel cells, solar panels and our biogas compressor. Baseline use for production is about 2.1 to 2.3 megawatts depending on ambient temperature (and the refrigeration load needed at the time). At night needs drop off.
PM: What lessons do you have for non-brewing industries?
KG: Our nation's energy solutions are going to include a whole mix of technologies. We've tried to look at appropriate technologies that make sense, like capturing energy rather than making new energy. I think this holds true for any kind of manufacturing process—anywhere there's a boiler that is used to heat water, there should be heat exchangers and absorption chilling. It's about getting the most out of an energy source. We need both power and heat, so co-generation makes a lot of sense.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
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