Vault City is expected to cut its energy costs by more than £600,000 following the installation of a new solar PV array at its Scottish brewery.
The brewery, which is are currently on track to record a 38% increase in production volumes in 2026, has commissioned CleanEarth Energy to design and install a 222kWp roof-mounted system that will now generate an annual 175,400kWh of clean energy for their brewery.
Vault City’s beers continue to grow in popularity, which has resulted in an increase in production from 11,900 HL to 14,424 HL. As production climbs the brewery can utilise their solar PV to mitigate the accompanying increase in energy costs.
According to the manufacturer, their system will be saving an estimated £627,000 over the solar PV’s lifetime and reduce their annual Scope 2 emissions by 33 tonnes.
With the system’s 25-year lifespan, these reductions will ultimately amass to 800 tonnes of CO2e removed from their carbon footprint.
The journey to solar started with a study supported by Brew Resourceful, investigating 31 different sustainable technologies and creating an ROI calculator to indicate where effort would be best placed.
Chris Lewington, founder of Brew Resourceful, recognised the value solar could bring: “After evaluating 30+ technologies, Solar PV was a clear investment.
“Not only does it provide an immediate ROI on its own, the combination of solar PV and automation also allows for load shifting, which in a brewery is one of the biggest combined ROIs available.”
Owner and co-founder Steven Smith-Hay set a goal of self-sufficiency for Vault City Brewing, and their new solar array plays a big role as the team pursue electrical self-sufficiency through solar.
For CleanEarth, this marks another close collaboration with the brewing industry, helping innovators like Vault City Brewing revolutionise the way they power their growing operations.
This project sets a strong example of what the impact of renewable energy can look like for breweries that want to liberate their premises from heavy grid reliance.
