Making beer with solar energy in Rio de Janeiro

Bringing people together to build a better world – and maybe even sipping good beer in the process. That is the dream of the Ambev Brewing Company, South America’s largest beer producer with a presence in 18 different countries. In Brazil alone, the “cerveceria” employs a staff of over 32,000 who are part of a particularly innovation-focused company that puts the consumer at the very core of its decision-making. When it came to powering its BIC, Beer Innovation Center, in Rio de Janeiro, with clean renewable energy, the Brazilian multinational turned to the experience of Enel X.

At the beginning of this year, work was completed on installing more than 2,000 solar panels on the roof of the BIC. This means that the Ambev premises in Rio de Janeiro’s UFRJ Technology Park will be powered entirely by solar energy, thanks to the design and implementation of an advanced energy solution that Enel X developed specifically for that particular site.  The rooftop solar plant installed at the industrial hub has a production capacity of up to 720 kWp, enough to supply all of the energy required for the plant’s production processes. When the BIC’s energy consumption levels are lower than the amount of power generated by the solar plant, the excess energy will be made available to the Sao Paolo regional energy manager, thus earning the brewery significant discounts on its energy bill.

The project marks another major Latin American success story for Enel X and its constant commitment to promote a corporate culture based on the principles of sustainability, energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources. The partnership between the two companies is also an example to others as the beer company is so serious about renewable sources that it has set itself the goal of using only 100% clean energy at all its plants by 2025.  Ambev’s sustainable eco-friendly mission brilliantly mirrors Enel X’s philosophy that centres around the perfect marriage of energy efficiency and digitalisation. The two companies began discussing the solar project in 2014, scheduling a tailor-made design phase followed by a pilot test phase that proved a huge success.  

“Our approach with Ambev came at just the right moment as we got to the client even before they knew exactly what they wanted,” explained Rafael Coelho, Head of e-Mobility in Brazil, who, in his previous role as Head of B2B, led negotiations with the beer producer. Enel X created the distributed solar generation project from the development phase to the installation of the panels and will continue to monitor the system remotely even once it is fully up and running. Installation of the solar panels began in May 2018 after three months of planning and tests carried out at two pilot micro-plants in Jacareí, near Sao Paolo. The photovoltaic project should generate up to 958 MWh annually, resulting in a saving of over 1.15 billion litres of water and cutting CO2 emissions by up to 131 tonnes per year. To give a clearer picture of the benefit to the environment, suffice to say that it is the equivalent of planting 783 trees.

“The project is the entry point for Ambev which intends to extend its commitment to renewable energy.  It is a strategic partner with an established presence in other countries and capable of doing business on a global scale,” said Ricardo Mosqueira, Business Developer at Enel X Brazil’s Product Implementation Department. “The centre is where everyone looks in order to observe Ambev’s best practices and innovations. This solar facility is a real showcase for Enel X,” he concludes. From the second half of March, the BIC will be powered solely by clean, renewable energy thanks to the Enel X project that covers an area of 4,752 square metres with 2,160 solar panels. It is without a shadow of a doubt the largest rooftop solar facility that Enel X has ever built in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Aside from the benefits to the environment, the solar roof will, once connected to the electricity grid, up its sustainability game still further. In fact, it will reduce the CIT’s energy consumption by 50%, reaching 1,090 MWh/year and generating savings of around 490,000 R $, thanks to bonuses received from the regional energy manager in exchange for energy supplied to the grid.

Visionary projects of this kind demonstrate that innovative organisations of the likes of the Ambev Brewing Company can achieve ambitious sustainability and energy efficiency goals by adopting Enel X’s solutions. Innovation, sustainability, recycling of materials are just some of the corporate and environmental objectives that Ambev and Enel X share with a view to building a better world. Now that’s something worth raising your glass to!