Sierra Nevada Brewery (Chico, CA)
With the first batches arriving in 1980, the Sierra Nevada Brewery takes its brewing quite seriously, but has a major commitment to sustainable practices as well. What sort of sustainable practices? It’s a laundry list… here are some highlights:
- A 1.4MW solar installation
Four 250kW fuel cells for heat and electricity
Almost 98% waste-diversion (recycling)
Fully integrated heat-recovery systems
CO2 recovery from fermentation
50% reduction in water consumption compared to a typical brewing operation
They’ve made it a big enough deal to score a very detailed page at Wikipedia and a visit from Governor Schwarzenegger.
If you can get through all the beer and concert information, there are tidbits to find. Information on the fuel cell system [pdf] is available. There is also an on-topic interview with Ken Grossman.
