Molson Coors’ Three Milwaukee Breweries Fully Powered by Solar Energy
Molson Coors’ three breweries, corporate offices and some smaller locations in Milwaukee will be entirely powered by solar energy under a new deal with the local electricity provider.
The brewing company is the first corporation to join We Energies' Renewable Pathway program, a clean-energy subscription program that allows companies and other power users to buy energy produced by the utility's solar developments. The commitment was just announced today (March 5).
Molson Coors has committed to buying 27 megawatts from the recently completed Badger Hollow Solar Park in Iowa County, about 120 miles west of Milwaukee. That’s enough to offset the power used at the company’s State Street Brewery, Leinenkugel’s 10th Street Brewery and Watertown Hops Co., as well as the Milwaukee corporate offices and additional smaller locations.
The program doesn't send electricity directly from the We Energies solar farm to Molson Coors, explained the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. That power, like all of its electric output, goes to the electric grid and is co-mingled with other sources of electricity. Subscribers pay a small premium to ensure that the cost of building solar installations with dedicated customers is not passed on to other ratepayers.
“Renewable energy is a key component of our plans [to reduce greenhouse gas emissions] and the We Energies Renewable Pathway program is a great fit to help us get there,” said Rachel Schneider, Molson Coors’ vice president of sustainability and EHS. Molson Coors is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving net zero by at least 2050.
