• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

New Kona brewery under construction in Hawaii will use solar energy to produce 6,875 cans of sun-powered beer per hour

August 9, 2018Pretty Much a Press Release

Kona Brewing Co., EnSync Inc. and its subsidiary Holu Energy recently announced a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to build a solar-plus-battery storage system at the beer company’s new brewery, under construction in Kailua Kona. The installation will consist of a 336-kW roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) system and an EnSync DER SuperModule that contains a 122-kW-hour battery system to capture and store excess solar generation.

The project also includes the Matrix Energy Management system, which interacts with the main grid to find and deliver the lowest-cost, most reliable electricity from multiple sources. The resulting solar power is projected to meet one-quarter of the brewery’s electricity needs and will allow the company to produce a peak output of 6,875 cans of sun-powered beer per hour.

“This installation offers Kona Brewing a fully integrated resource to meet its dual goals of using clean energy and reducing energy costs, which in Hawaii are the highest in the nation,” said Ted Peck, president of Holu Energy. “Integrating energy storage with PV will help the brewery reduce expensive peak demand charges, add resiliency and provide grid services, which benefits both the local utility and Kona Brewing.”

RELATED: How craft breweries can plan for renewable energy supply — from modular steps to genuine sustainability

Energy storage will also enable Kona Brewing to participate in utility Hawaiian Electric’s demand response programs, which incentivize energy efficiency and stabilize the grid.

“Since it formed over 20 years ago, Kona Brewing has been committed to making locally brewed beers in an environmentally responsible way,” said Julia Person, sustainability manager of Kona Brewing. “By partnering with Holu, we are working with another Hawaiian business to reduce our imported fossil fuel use and create on-site solar energy that helps the state meet its renewable energy goals. This partnership demonstrates how we embrace innovation to maintain our commitment to the ‘Aloha spirit’ and the larger Hawaiian community.”

EnSync Energy’s tailored project development and financing support enables investors and local energy consumers to commit to clean energy cost savings while furthering Hawaii’s state goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2045. EnSync Energy has contracted 26 commercial projects in Hawaii, which will account for more than $40 million in electricity sales over the terms of the agreements. Construction of the brewery is underway, with installation of the solar-plus-battery storage system expected to be complete in early 2019.

LakefrontBrewery_Solar cbb crop
Milwaukee’s Lakefront Brewery is now partially run on solar energy
Design a green warehouse for your brewing or distributor operations
Short's Brewing solar crop
Michigan’s Short’s Brewing installs solar panels
sustainability
New Belgium Brewing adds 50% more onsite solar capacity

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • After a year in business, Louisville’s Gallant Fox Brewing is already opening a second location in Bullitt County
  • Sovos ShipCompliant adds audit protection for direct-to-consumer alcohol shippers in 24 states
  • Proof Brewing installing Earthly Labs’ carbon capture tech
  • Because you must know everything about beer, here’s March 2021’s domestic tax paid estimates for beer shipments

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • Lemon-QuestDogfish Head’s deal with Mother Nature other beers to know this Earth Week
    April 20, 2021
  • Understanding ionization: Let’s learn how to air rinse and dry cans and bottles without water
    April 19, 2021
  • Crosby Farm TopWire Hop Project 12Resplendent Oregon hop farm has ultimate beer garden (TopWire Hop Project) reopening April 30 (enjoy some images)
    April 15, 2021
  • Get Your Drink On app people cheers drinksThis Get Your Drink On app gifts beer money to a phone’s digital wallet, so please send me some
    April 15, 2021
  • GEA-InsightPartner-ProduktbildInside the real-time process control of GEA’s InsightPartner software
    April 14, 2021
  • roughhouse brewing cave aged beersCave-aged beer finally excavated by Roughhouse and other beers to know this week
    April 13, 2021

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2021 · CBB Media LLC

Continue ...

sponsored by