Brewing with the greek sun
It takes almost three times as much thermal heat as electricity for Carlsberg to produce beer. In preparation for a one-year pilot with Absolicon, Carlsberg have installed Absolicon T160 Solar collectors to generate steam for use at Olympic Brewery’s site, in Sindos, Salonika. By generating heat from solar thermal instead of natural gas, Carlsberg expect to save around 70 tonnes of CO2 emissions during the one-year pilot. Carlsberg have successfully tested steam production from the collectors, and will formally begin the pilot in the spring of 2023.
Case: Carlsberg Group, Greece from Absolicon Solar Collector on Vimeo.
During sunnier summer months, the solar collectors will ramp up their solar thermal contribution to satisfy up to 70% of the energy demanded by the can pasteurizer (process selected for the solar pilot) and 5% of the brewery’s total energy demand per day. The solar collector field occupies 1,900 m2 – roughly the size of seven tennis courts – and there is potential to extend it by up to six times that size to generate even more heat from the sun. Carlsberg is using the pilot in Greece to demonstrate the viability of the technology for other breweries across Carlsberg and beyond.
Together Towards ZERO
In line with Carlsberg Group’s ambitious sustainability program “Together Towards ZERO”, the initiative arises from the commitment of the Group in helping mitigate the effects of climate change through the incorporation of renewable energies in its production processes.
One of Carlsberg Group’s main sustainability targets is to achieve zero carbon emissions during the production process by 2030. The Group envisions this initiative to be an example in the brewing industry towards the gradual exemption and reduction of dependence on fossil fuels.
Technical specifications
Carlsberg Group aims to replace natural gas and will together with Absolicon evaluate the potential of expanding the use of Absolicon’s patented solar thermal technology to Carlberg Group´s breweries around the world.
Breweries hold a significant advantage to replace fossil fuel consumption with renewable energy using Absolicon solar technology being a very heat-intensive industry, with low-temperature applications dominating the energy demand.
Absolicon T160 Solar collector efficiently produces heat up to 160 °C and steam up to 8 bar for industrial processes, and solar heating can be implemented in multiple stages of the production chain.
Absolicon Technology concentrates the sunlight providing heat and steam for industrial brewery processes such as washing, boiling, mashing, pasteurization, and CIP.
Learn more about the details of this solar thermal installation by accessing the case-specific data sheet:
Interview with Carlsberg about the installation
Read what Simon Boas Hoffmeyer, Senior Director, Group Sustainability & ESG by Carlsberg Group says about the Absolicon solar thermal installation and how it is helping them to achieve Carlsberg’s ambitious sustainability goals:
Absolicon and Carlsberg join forces: Pilot project launched in Greece
Other References
Learn how leading beverage producers are benefiting from solar thermal energy in their production plants:
Birra Peroni – Brewery solar pilot in Italy
Useful links
