Beverage giant Asahi is now powering the production of its drinks with a solar power purchase agreement (PPA) with renewable energy retailer Flow Power.
Flow Power brokered the new PPA for Asahi, accelerating them toward their goal of having 100% of their purchased electricity sourced from or matched with renewable sources by 2025.
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Under the deal, Asahi will purchase 40,000MWh each year from a state-of-the-art solar farm located in Clermont, Queensland—an outback town renowned for its high heat and low rainfall. This is enough energy to power more than 5,700 homes and nearly 81,000 beer fridges annually.
The 500-acre, single-axis solar tracking system farm at Clermont follows the sun’s trajectory for optimal energy generation, delivering one of Australia’s highest per-unit energy yields.
Clermont, which is owned by solar power company WIRSOL and commenced operations in mid-2019, makes use of Queensland’s extensive existing grid infrastructure.
In July 2022 Flow Power secured an eight-and-a-half-year PPA for 25.22MW from Clermont. This deal with Asahi Beverages accounts for around 80% of Flow Power’s offtake.
Along with obtaining large-scale generation certificates (LGC’s) from Flow Power as a result of the project, Asahi Beverages also draws significant energy from onsite solar panels at its Yatala brewery on the Gold Coast, Australia’s biggest brewery. This is the biggest solar project at any brewery in the country, generating enough solar power to brew the equivalent of around 150 million stubbies or cans each year.
The PPA with Flow Power allows Asahi Beverages to continue to procure renewable energy, while also reducing purchasing costs and securing power supply over the long term.
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Flow Power COO Byron Serjeantson said, “We are proud to be supporting our long-term customer, Asahi, in continuing to improve the sustainability of their operations and leading the way in industry. Every year we see increasing numbers of businesses making the smart switch to renewables and reaping the benefits through Flow Power’s innovative renewable products and intelligent tools to better manage their energy. Together with these customers, we are delivering on our key goal to accelerating the renewable energy transition.”
