A Penryn-based company specialising in all aspects of renewable energy has completed its third major contract with St Austell Brewery.

ZLC Energy, based at the Tremough Innovation Centre, won the brewery’s tender to install photovoltaic (PV) systems, which generate electricity from solar energy, at their head office in St Austell, their Cornwall distribution centre in St Columb and at the County Arms in Truro. They first started working with them three years ago – assessing and prioritising all carbon reduction options across the brewery’s business.

“We’ve advised them on energy efficiency measures, fleet fuel reduction and designed and installed 250kw solar PV to help them meet their goal of becoming of the UK’s greenest brewers,” said ZLC’s managing director Mark Smith. “On a sunny day, the company’s central distribution centre now produces enough power to effectively run it by solar alone. We’ve also designed and installed a monitoring system that shows the energy savings in number of vans of beer.

“We’re proud to have also won the ongoing maintenance contract to ensure the brewery gets as much return as it can from the investment it’s made. It’s very important to us to deliver the highest quality service and advice at all times – that is our commitment and it’s one we will honour.”

St Austell Brewery is an independent, family-run business that was first established in 1851. As compliance officer Robin Freight explained, the company considers being environmentally efficient an essential part of their strategy.

“It’s not just about hugging trees, it’s also about saving money,” he said. “We’ve chosen to work with ZLC Energy because they are reliable and every deadline has been met without fail. When we contact them, they respond immediately and can be trusted to get on with the job – meaning a lot less stress for us. We’re delighted with all that they’ve achieved to date.”