Brewery opts for cogeneration

Simons Green Energy has designed, and is supplying and installing, the 1200 kWe of natural gas fired cogeneration at the soon to be completed Little Creatures Brewery in Geelong. The installation of the cogeneration system will provide a large portion of the brewery’s electricity demands and will use the waste heat generated by the engines to provide hot water for the numerous process heating applications. The units will be configured to run parallel to the grid, meaning that the only energy to be purchased from the grid will be that over and above what the engines can supply, which is expected to be very little.

The Cogeneration Plant to be installed at the brewery is made up of two off-sized units, allowing for greater modulation of output. They consist of an 800 kWe and 400 kWe system, with the reciprocating gas engines supplied by MWM. The cogeneration systems will be supplied as complete factory-tested packaged units; the engine and generator sets housed inside purpose-built containers. The electricity generated is claimed to be cleaner than coal-fired, grid-supplied electricity, thereby allowing for a substantial reduction in carbon emissions.

The hot water to be used for process heating in the brewery will be produced for ‘free’ from the waste heat of the cogeneration plant. The engineering team from Simons Green Energy is working closely with brewery owner Little Creatures and brewery plant supplier Krones AG to ensure a smooth installation.

In discussing the initiative, Alex Troncoso, Head of Brewing Development for Little Creatures, said: “We knew that we wanted to do something special for this project; in particular, implement an environmental technology that would be a step change for us. Cogeneration seemed to be a natural fit as breweries have a high thermal energy demand - we knew that we could use the waste heat effectively for a number of applications.”

The brewery will also incorporate other energy-efficient equipment such as energy recovery systems in the brewhouse, as well as extensive use of automation for the cleaning regimes and variable speed drives on motors throughout the process. The brewery is due to have a cellar door bar and restaurant to showcase the brewery’s products, as well as local produce.

Derek Simons, CEO of Simons Green Energy, said: “The cogeneration system to be installed at the Little Creatures Brewery will be a great platform for other breweries and food and beverage manufacturers to follow. The system is technologically advanced and very efficient at about 85% conversion efficiency compared with 30% efficiency for conventional grid-supplied electricity.

“Businesses that are keen to pursue this technology may also be eligible to apply for a government grant under the current AusIndustry Clean Technology Food & Foundries Investment Program. The program is a $200 million competitive, merit-based grants program to support Australian food and foundry manufacturers to maintain competitiveness in a carbon-constrained economy. This program provides grants for investments in energy-efficient capital equipment and low-emission technologies, processes and products. Cogeneration and trigeneration systems are high on the list of eligible initiatives, under the program’s guidelines.”

The brewery is due to commence production in mid-2013.