Lion NZ has announced the installation of one of the largest rooftop solar arrays in the country at New Zealand’s largest brewery.
Being one of the largest rooftop solar arrays in the country, the 2,424 panels covering an area of around 5,400m2 will be visible from flights into and out of nearby Auckland Airport.
At 1.21 megawatts, solar energy is estimated to provide 14.4 percent of the brewery’s electricity needs per year – equivalent to approximately 228 average households.
Lion NZ Managing Director Craig Baldie said increasing the use of renewable electricity supports Lion’s ongoing commitment to decarbonise its business.
“We are a net carbon zero certified company committed to the ongoing decarbonisation of our business. Brewing is an energy-intensive process,” said Baldie.
“At the Pride, our state-of-the-art brewery in East Tamaki, where we produce many of New Zealand’s best-loved beers such as Steinlager and Speight’s, we can run 160,000 cans and bottles per hour across the four production lines.”
Since 2019, Lion NZ’s Science Based Targets baseline year, the company has reduced Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions at the Pride by 13 percent per kilolitre of beverage produced.
Investing in solar energy will increase its reliance on new renewable energy, further reduce carbon emissions, and free up more than a megawatt of demand from the national grid. The project was given the green light in August last year.
Solar energy has advanced significantly in the past few years. The Pride opened in 2010 but was not expressly designed for rooftop solar.
“One of the things we had to work out was whether the roof could hold the weight and balance the costs.”
A significant structural assessment of the roof was undertaken to engineer the design for the roof to take the load of the 74,000-kilogram structure.
“Along with the sustainability benefits, it’s a smart commercial investment providing predictable electricity costs and a less than seven-year payback period. Adding solar electricity into the mix is a logical and exciting milestone for us,” added Baldie.
“We are proud to have been carbon zero across the whole organisation since 2021, and we continue to explore ways to be more efficient and sustainable across everything we do.”
Lion has partnered with Meridian Energy, Reid Technology, and Solar Vision. Meridian Chief Customer Officer Lisa Hannifin said the company was extremely proud to support Lion with its solar plans.
“Lion is showing amazing leadership in this space, and it’s another important step on New Zealand’s journey towards an electric future,” said Hannifin.
“Energy contributes around 40 percent of New Zealand’s total gross emissions, so this switch by Lion will provide lasting sustainability benefits for the wider community.”
The project is targeted to be completed in April and is funded through a Power Purchase Agreement with Meridian.
