Sourcing Renewables  -  November 6, 2020

Local Vermont mead now brewed using 100% clean RNG

A local craft meadery in Vermont announced Nov. 5 that it is officially powering all its operations with renewable natural gas.

The Groennfell Meadery in St. Albans, Vt., received RNG from the energy company VGS for use in the brewing of its mead. The meadery was working toward a goal of being net zero by 2030 but has now achieved that target a decade early.

“Energy efficiency is a cornerstone to maintaining affordability and comfort,” Lunderville said. “It is also the most effective way to reduce carbon,” Neale Lunderville, VGS President and CEO, said in a statement. “That’s why our plan to invest even more resources into energy efficiency, dramatically increasing our RNG program to include local sources, and continuing to partner with like-minded organizations on clean energy projects will help significantly move the needle when it comes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

The use of RNG in the meadery is just the latest energy efficiency project that the company has implemented recently. The meadery uses heat from fermentation to heat the building during the winter, which reduced its production energy input by 92% over the last eight years.

VGS has worked with other local companies to help them achieve their clean energy goals, such as the Vermont Coffee Company, which went 100% renewable in 2018. VGS also has a goal to reduce its customers’ greenhouse emissions by 30% before 2030.