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Small but growing numbers of breweries are popping up here. Replace or supplement the use of gas boilers with heat pumps as a step towards net zero emissions goals.
Leading brewers including Guinness and New Belgium Brewing are also investing in these solutions. Cost, downtime and maintenance are common concerns for manufacturers looking to replace equipment, but technology companies that provide electric heat and steam are building their businesses to address these challenges.
“Heat accounts for three-quarters of industrial emissions,” said AtmosZero CEO Addison Stark. Half of that heat is transferred by steam, he added, “and the amount of steam used in food and drinks is enormous.”
Stark started the company with the goal of building a cost-competitive, drop-in electric replacement boiler that could replace existing boilers. This solution allows manufacturing facilities to produce steam for processes such as cleaning, sanitizing equipment, and packaging without using gas-powered boilers.
Heat pumps work by efficiently moving heat from one place to another, helping to compensate for high electricity costs. AtmosZero’s Boiler 2.0 uses proprietary technology to extract heat from the air and convert it.
AtmosZero focuses on facilities with steam loads of 1 to 5 MW of thermal capacity. Manufacturers who do not wish to demolish the entire boiler room can choose to replace just one boiler or refill a gas boiler. Stark said this ease of adoption is attractive to businesses looking for a simpler solution.
“We are making steam electricity a product, not a project,” he said.
New Belgium Brewing, based in Fort Collins, Colorado, is one of the companies utilizing AtmosZero’s equipment. Last May, the company installed an industrial electric boiler that can produce up to 1 ton of steam per hour.
“Currently, there are not many market solutions for clean energy in this area, and we are excited to participate in the development and demonstration of this new technology,” a New Belgium spokesperson said in an email. If successful, AtmosZero’s heat pump design will use significantly less power than a traditional electric boiler and will cover 30 to 40 percent of a brewery’s steam needs.
Steam used in brewing operations accounts for 25% of a brewery’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions. When powered by clean power — The City of Fort Collins Utilities has committed to providing them by 2030. — AtmosZero’s Boiler 2.0 has the potential to significantly reduce a facility’s greenhouse gas emissions.
“We will measure the performance and reliability of the prototype to determine if it can meet 100% of the Fort Collins brewery’s steam needs,” a spokesperson said.
Breweries outside the U.S. are also taking steps to decarbonize. Diageo is phasing out fossil fuel use at its St James’ Gate Guinness facility in Dublin as part of its goal to reduce the site’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions by more than 90%.
And in Manchester, England, Heineken is using a low-temperature hot water network powered by heat pumps to replace steam boilers as part of its net zero ambitions. This solution uses an “environmentally friendly” ammonia refrigerant that has zero ozone depletion potential and zero global warming potential.
The relatively low to medium temperatures used in manufacturing facilities such as breweries and distilleries are good candidates for heat pumps, according to the source. However, a lack of understanding of what these solutions are and what they can do may prevent widespread adoption.
“There are still significant knowledge gaps,” said Andrew Hoffmeister, senior research analyst for industry programs. American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.
Hofmeister said many changes will be needed by manufacturers to make electrification universal, and cost will be a common factor.
“The cost of capital is definitely a barrier,” Hoffmeister said. “Operating costs can also be significant, especially in places where electricity costs are high.”
Grant programs and grants can help make heat pump investments more attractive for companies, but Stark said there is a lack of stability in funding at the federal level. He said AtmosZero typically advises clients to look at opportunities at the state and local level.
Hofmeister points out that: Rise PA Program in Pennsylvania As one of those options. This is a $396 million statewide industrial decarbonization grant program for industrial projects. Industrial facilities are the largest emitting sector statewide and account for more than 30% of Pennsylvania’s total GHG emissions. Another example is Indigo Program in CaliforniaThis provides incentives for industrial projects that reduce emissions.
These programs can help offset your initial investment, but they aren’t available everywhere.
Permission granted by Skyven Technologies
Skyven aims to address the initial cost barrier to adoption using industrial steam-generating heat pumps. This technology can take heat from equipment such as a malt kiln and turn it into usable steam up to 420 degrees Fahrenheit.. The company saw initial traction in the food and beverage industry, along with the ethanol industry and pulp and paper mills.
Skyven covers equipment and engineering costs, establishes engineering and financial plans for customers, and then Recurring service charges. The company recoups initial costs by sharing savings with customers based on energy savings measured and verified in the field. By installing this technology alongside existing boilers, companies can respond to supply and demand markets through arbitrage.
“In a full-scale electricity market, electricity prices change every 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the market,” said Skyven CEO Arun Gupta. “They can get high in the sky very quickly.”
Gupta said. Skyben’s Heat pumps are more cost-effective 80-90% of the time. The system is designed to operate naturally when electricity rates rise. Get your gas boiler running again with no downtime. However, he noted that all energy sources are at risk of downtime due to bad weather and other factors.
“Putting existing boilers and systems in parallel reduces the risk of adopting new technology,” he said, noting that the company also shares some financial risk with its customers. “This motivates us to ensure that our heat pumps perform in a way that actually saves our customers money.”
