The Scenario
Since its founding, Firestone Walker Brewing Company has always been committed to fine-tuning its operations to create world-class brews for generations to come – and that requires minimizing energy use throughout each step of its operations.
Looking to reinforce its commitment to sustainability, Firestone Walker Brewing Company wanted to collaborate with a solar provider that could help the company better empower its rapid growth, lower energy bills and further minimize its environmental impact for the long term.
The Solution
In 2021, REC Solar designed, engineered, procured and coordinated the construction of a 2.1 MW ground mount solar array and a 281 kW solar carport on 9.8 acres adjacent to the brewery.
The 2.1 MW solar array features ground-mounted single-axis trackers that maximize solar energy production. The 16,000 square-foot solar carport occupies a parking shade structure south of the brewery and increased its total solar production to 4,576 MWh of electricity generated in its first year.
Following the successful completion of the ground-mount solar array and solar carport, REC Solar and Firestone Walker partnered again on a 754 kW rooftop solar array in 2024.
Located on top of the brewery’s 60,000-square-foot cold storage facility, the rooftop solar array features 1,908 panels strategically placed to maximize solar generation in an underutilized space.
Two key design elements helped achieve this goal. The first was utilizing a fully ballasted system, which enabled the construction of the system without penetrating the roof. This ballasted system ensured the solar project would not compromise the insulating envelope of the cold storage facility. Second, a dual-tilt layout — with panels facing east and west to allow for more panels on the roof — maximized the production and total offset of the system.
The ground mount and rooftop solar installations generate 5,809 MWh of electricity annually and offset over 1000 metric tons of carbon emissions.
The projects were financed with a Power Purchase Agreement through REC Solar, allowing Firestone Walker Brewing Company to shift the solar arrays from a capital expense to a predictable monthly payment over the life of the agreement.
Additionally, REC Solar will continue to own, operate and maintain the solar array over the life of the PPAs.