Industrial, Solar, Sourcing Renewables  -  January 14, 2021

Firestone Walker Brewing completes large on-site solar array

Firestone Walker Brewing Company announced on Jan. 13 that it has completed one of the largest on-site solar installations in craft beer­­: a 2.1-MW array and 281-kW solar carport on 9.7 acres near its main brewery in Paso Robles, California. The arrays will generate the majority of the brewery's energy.

"REC Solar and Duke Energy Renewables have been solid partners throughout this process,” David Walker, co-owner of Firestone Walker Brewing Company, said in a statement. “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." 

The solar array features ground-mounted single-axis trackers that maximize solar energy production 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. Firestone Walker is financing the installation through a 25-year power purchase agreement.

"We have made a 25-year forward commitment to this project, and we hope that our embrace of solar energy, along with scores of others in our community, will encourage more to do the same," Walker said.

Project planning began in late 2016, with groundbreaking in April 2020. In addition to the solar arrays, the project includes utility substation upgrades that will make it easier for other local organizations seeking to go solar to tap into the power of renewable energy.

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