Commercial, Solar, Sourcing Renewables  -  August 27, 2018

Beer distributor plans $2 million savings with solar

Brown Distributing Co. will install a 481-kW rooftop solar project at the company’s beverage distribution facility in Austin. The array is expected to save the company nearly $2 million over the next 25 years, paying for itself in less than five years, while cutting utility bills by about $4,300 per month.

"Solar is an obvious choice when it comes to the financial benefit, but it’s even more significant given the positive environmental impact," says Laurie Brown, vice president of Brown Distributing in a report by Solar Industry magazine. "We take great pride in ensuring that our operations are environmentally conscious, and we have a strong commitment to protecting and keeping our local communities clean." The company distributes Anheuser-Busch InBev products as well as an assortment of domestic, craft, import, and non-alcoholic brands.

The solar array is being installed by Freedom SunPower and will feature 1,458 panels to produce 658,014 kWh of electricity annually. The building contains 125,000 square feet of warehouse space and 9,482 square feet of draught product refrigerated storage, as well as Brown Distributing’s corporate offices and a fleet of more than 420 vehicles.

 "After 2019, the current federal tax credit of 30 percent begins to decrease," said Bret Biggart, CEO of Freedom Solar Power, which installed turnkey solar systems throughout Texas. "By 2022, it will be down to just 10 percent. That should be a huge incentive for more forward-thinking, smart commercial business owners like Brown Distributing Co. to act quickly."