Singlespeed Brewing Co. 

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Case Study  

Executive Summary

Singlespeed Brewing Co. in Waterloo, IA is utilizing photovoltaic solar panels which are installed on the roof of their 35,000+ sq. foot facility to offset a portion of their energy consumption.  Not only does this save the brewery money, but it promotes the use of renewable energy sources among businesses within the industry and state.

Singlespeed Brewing Co.

2018 production volume of 4,100 BBL at Waterloo, IA facility

20 BBL BrewHouse

Property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016

Awarded Gold status LEED Certification in October of 2017

Challenges/Objectives

The clear objective of this plan to install a photovoltaic solar panel system on the roof of the facility is two-fold.  First, Singlespeed wants to be able to offset the cost of their energy consumption by producing a portion of their own energy.  As well, Singlespeed is a proud advocate for sustainable brewing practices. By cutting down on the amount of traditional energy being purchased from a utility provider, Singlespeed is actively playing a part in efforts to reduce waste and emissions and increase energy efficiency.

With this building being on the national historic landmark registry, restrictive rules were put in place by the historical preservation society.  This limited the number of solar panels that Singlespeed could install on the roof of the facility. They would’ve loved to install an even larger number of panels to further increase the amount of energy consumption being offset.

“THE SOLAR PANELS ARE AN AWESOME WAY TO NOT ONLY OFFSET OUR ENERGY CONSUMPTION BUT TO FURTHER PROMOTE THE IDEA OF SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE BUSINESSES. RENEWABLE ENERGY ISN’T REALLY A LOW-HANGING FRUIT AND YOU HAVE TO REALLY BE PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE DOING TO MAKE THAT KIND OF DECISION.”

 --Rachel Beck: Sustainability Coordinator, Singlespeed Brewing Co.

Results

Singlespeed’s solar panels currently offset their energy usage by 16%, with brewing operations consuming right around 16.2% of total daily energy usage.  Energy generation is increased in summer months, with Singlespeed citing a few occasions where they were able to sell energy back to the grid. Singlespeed’s Waterloo, IA facility is so large that it wouldn’t be possible in current circumstances to offset all electricity costs for the facility.

About the Author
Grant Helle
Program Assistant
Iowa Waste Reduction Center