Rising electricity and natural gas prices are pushing Germans to bet more than ever on renewable sources, as well as on energy efficiency and sobriety. Here are some examples of businesses, citizens and municipalities that are setting the tone and influencing their compatriots. Can they also inspire us in Quebec and Canada, when our electricity needs are set to increase?
To get to the Rothaus brewery, in the heart of the Black Forest, one has to meander between mountains carpeted with conifers. After passing a lake and a few ski slopes, at the bend in the road, we see an imposing complex of salmon-colored buildings appear. Behind these walls, the company produces and bottles up to 60,000 beers per hour. There is also a museum, a shop, a restaurant and games for children. The brand’s logo dominates everywhere: a smiling woman in period costume holding two mugs of golden elixir.
The director of the establishment, dressed in a traditional gray jacket with a red collar and gold buttons, ceremonially welcomes The duty. Christian Rasch is proud to show how his company, founded in 1791, began its energy transition 15 years ago.
“Our strategy is to make the best beer with the best products and with less energy,” he says after showing an informative video about his establishment, which is fully owned by the federal state of Baden. -Württemberg.
Within five years, Rothaus is expected to create more energy than it uses, thanks to solar panels, wind turbines, a biogas plant and a biomass plant. For now, it produces 18% of its consumption. And the electricity it buys comes from hydroelectric power stations in the Haut-Rhin. This visionary approach has already allowed it to get through the energy crisis better than many of its competitors in this emblematic energy-intensive industry of Germany.
“Breweries emit a lot of greenhouse gases: boiling ingredients, cooling liquid, powering automated production machines, disinfecting bottles, transporting products. “, enumerates the director, who affirms to have reduced the carbon footprint of Rothaus by 75% for 10 years.
The private guided tour begins in the cellar, where the liquid ferments cold for a week, then matures for at least four weeks in dozens of enormous 180,000 liter vats. They are placed below ground level since it is already naturally cool there, which limits the energy needed to maintain the liquid down to -2°C.
Turbines in sight
On the roof of the logistics center, you can see almost 1000 square meters of solar panels. The sun’s rays also heat black pipes filled with water. The latter is used to sterilize the bottles, which are recovered and reused several times. In summer, this system is sufficient to reach the desired high temperature. In winter, heat from the small wood chip plant is added to the process. The chips are residue from the region’s forest industry, adds the director.
Mr. Rasch then points to the tops of the fir trees which cut out spikes in the gray sky. “Over there, it will be a wind farm. We want to buy two turbines from a private project that will have six,” he says.
We then go down to the chain filling zone for the containers, moved by conveyor belts. Gradually, all the machines are replaced by other, more efficient ones, which use 30% less energy, according to the director. He adds in passing that all the bulbs have been replaced by LEDs in the last year.
Of course, all these measures required major investments. They are already benefiting Rothaus, however, now that the average electricity price for businesses has doubled since the end of 2021.
Weakened breweries
Rothaus is an exception for now. Many breweries do not have the cash to make such a shift, being already weakened by the pandemic. This reduced the market for cask beer to nothing for many months. The increase in prices imposed by several of their suppliers further complicates their situation.
The small brewery Lemke, in the city center of the German capital, is one of those who are going through difficult times. The brewery is located under an overpass of the S-Bahn, the public light rail, its exterior walls are covered with colorful murals, bringing a festive touch to the district invaded by white construction signs, Berlin’s equivalent of Montreal’s orange cone. A smell of malt hangs in the air.
The managers of the company specializing in sour beers had to reduce production by approximately 50% due to health measures associated with COVID-19. “It’s better now, but we’re still 10% below our pre-pandemic production,” said communications manager Anika Stockmann.
For their processes, they use electricity, but above all natural gas, like the majority of brewers. Their gas bill is now ten times higher than a year ago. Mme Stockmann does not see how they could reduce their energy costs. “We cannot install solar panels, since on our roof there are rails. We cannot change the way we brew our beer,” she laments.
The price of glass bottles has increased by 40%; that of malt is also more expensive. Faced with these challenges, Lemke’s survival is not at stake, but the company has had to lower its profit margin and increase its selling prices by 12%.
A necessary transformation
The Association of German Brewers is worried. While the number of breweries was previously growing steadily, dozens of them have closed since the pandemic. Inflation and energy supply are also singled out in the country that produces and consumes the most beer in Europe.
“The beer industry has made enormous efforts in recent decades to reduce its energy consumption. Despite sophisticated sustainability concepts and investments in advanced technologies, it is currently impossible to replace gas as the main source of energy,” said the organization’s publicist, Nina Göllinger, by email.
In this context, several large breweries have visited Rothaus with interest in recent months, according to its director.
“We share our knowledge, because our entire industry needs to change,” believes Christian Rasch. There will no longer be any global interest in buying European beers if the price becomes too high in relation to the quality. »
This report was financed thanks to the support of the Transat International Journalism Fund.The duty.