In November 2021, Tattersall Distilling opened a new distillery and event space in River Falls, Wis., some 30 minutes east of its original Minneapolis location. The tasting room, restaurant, and outdoor amphitheater contained within the 75,000-square-foot space are visually impressive and practically impossible to miss.
Yet it could be argued that the facility’s most noteworthy feature is something that is not as easily seen. The property boasts a massive 405 kilowatt solar array on its rooftop, making it the largest solar array of any distillery in the country. “We didn’t realize that it was the largest until after it was up,” explains Jon Kriedler, Tattersall’s founder and chief officer. “It really surprised us when we found that out. But we have a flat, 80,000-square-foot roof; it was just a no-brainer for us to install a solar array up there.”
Statistically speaking, Tattersall’s panels are poised to produce eco-friendly premiums. The projected annual electricity generated by the array offsets 373 tons of carbon dioxide — the same amount stored by 415 acres of forest. At the same time, the array organically shines a spotlight on a process that, in some ways, can act as the toe dip that compels a distillery to fully immerse itself into sustainability.
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Solar and Sustainability
Solar paneling’s core function of converting absorbed and stored sunlight into energy isn’t as mysterious as it’s been in the past. Today, questions of how the panels can work when the skies are gray in the wintertime can be readily answered with a quick Google search. This increased awareness of how solar panels function can pay dividends in the distilling industry, as such knowledge provides more than power; it builds a foundation that can change how distilleries operate.
It’s a change that’s increasingly vital in this era of climate change and planet protection. Distilleries devour copious amounts of energy. A research paper on whiskey production presented last July at the 19th International Conference on Renewable Energies and Power Quality in Almeria, Spain, concluded that distilleries were responsible for roughly 10 percent of Scotland’s total energy consumption. Fortunately, all it takes is one initial whittle of sustainable practice to start carving away at such usage. Distilleries that have embraced solar power see it as a gateway practice that has since led them down a more robust sustainable pathway. “Solar power is the easiest way for a distillery to improve energy efficiency,” explains Tim Penney, managing partner of Fierce Whiskers Distillery in Austin, Texas. “Once you get on board with solar, you start trying to figure out …….
Source: https://vinepair.com/articles/distilleries-solar-power/
