Beer maker Anheuser-Busch has just announced the completion of a rooftop solar energy installation at its Newark, NJ brewery that will generate about 525,000 kilowatt hours a year. It’s the second installation for the company, which also uses solar power at its brewery in Fairfield, California. Given the flood of megawatt-scale renewable energy projects coming online, half a million kilowatts from a rooftop may sound like small potatoes but all those rooftops can add up when it comes to a giant of the manufacturing sector.
The Anheuser-Busch installation is significant because it helps set a standard for other global-scale brands. The company has almost half of the U.S. beer market and its global sales of Budweiser and Bud Light are world leaders. With its all-encompassing advertising, the iconic brewer has the potential to take solar energy squarely into the American mainstream.