Edinburgh’s Stewart Brewing has strengthened its drive towards Net Zero with major investment in two green tech installations – £180,000 worth of Solar Photovoltaic panels across its building roofs and walls, and £150,000 in a Carbon Capture initiative to harvest, collect and bottle CO2 produced on site.
Co-founder and managing director Steve Stewart said: ‘‘One of our founding principles was to brew great beer in a sustainable and efficient manner and this remains at the heart of our business today, and these two projects will contribute significantly to that.
“The best part is that the electricity required to drive the Dallum CO2 capture machines is produced by the solar panels!
“Our carbon capture will prevent 250 Tonnes of CO2 over a three-year period being released to the environment, meaning also that we will become self-sufficient and avoid the need to have liquid CO2 made elsewhere and transported to the brewery,” Steve explained.
“Because of the long daylight hours during the summer, Scotland has exceptional solar potential for businesses like ours, and we expect that our solar panels will deliver over 165,000 kWh per year, which is around 65% to 70% of our total electricity requirement. That’s power to produce nearly two million pints of beer – shine on!”
He added: “We are grateful for the help of Scottish Enterprise and Business Energy Scotland to assist in funding these projects.”
Further to its capital projects, Stewart Brewing – a family-owned business established in 2004 – offers a refillable ‘growler’ service at its Loanhead taproom. Open seven days a week, customers can purchase 1L or 2L fills of its award-winning craft beer, with a selection of its classic favourites and limited-edition special beers.
Steve continued: “Growler Fills are the most sustainable way to drink beer. With 18 unique taps available, we’d love to see you at our brewery taproom soon for a fill of the finest, fresh craft beer.”