The South African subsidiary of Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. has taken a bold step towards reducing carbon emissions in its operations. The company has inaugurated a 6.5 MWp solar plant for its brewery located in Midvaal in the Gauteng province.
Unlike many photovoltaic plants in the country constructed on rooftops or in a desert area, the Midvaal brewery’s solar plant is built in a lush field covered with wild grasses. The plant consists of 14,000 solar panels and incorporates single-axis tracking technology that enables maximum utilization of the sun’s energy by the panels.
The solar plant was built in partnership with the SOLA Group, a Cape Town-based renewable energy company. The new installation is set up on a 19-hectare (47 acres) of land and is the largest free-standing solar PV plant powering a brewery in South Africa.
The embedded grid-connected plant is wifi-enabled and controlled. It is connected with a supervisory control and data acquisition control system, enabling real-time monitoring and control.
The solar plant will decarbonize the industrial processes of the brewery with an estimated production of 17,000 MWh of clean electricity per year. This will provide 30% of the electricity demand of the brewery.
According to Richard Kreil, Heineken’s Engineering, Strategic Projects & Sustainability Manager, the construction of the plant is the latest move of the company on its journey toward more sustainable brewing. The solar plant is developed under Heineken’s ‘Brew a Better World’ initiative and will contribute to the company’s effort to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030.
The SOLA Group will operate the plant for 25 years, under an agreement signed with the brewing company. The brewery which is co-operated by Heineken and Namibian Breweries (NBL) has also built a wastewater management plant.
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