Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. goes electric with charging stations
A few months back, we heard about Sierra Nevada Brewing Company's plans to begin using waste from its beer brewing process to make ethanol. That's great, but there's apparently more greening going on at the company's brewery in Chico, CA. The first two ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations from Coulomb Technologies have been installed at the plant and will be used by employees and customers that happen to own electric cars.
Anyone that carries a subscription to Coulomb's ChargePoint Network will be able to use their Smart Card to charge their electric vehicles at any charging station in the world. That's not the beer maker's only new commitment to being eco-friendly – this weekend also marked the dedication of Sierra Nevada's new 1.5 MW AC solar system. Who knew beer could be so green? Click past the break for the full press release.
[Source: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company]
PRESS RELEASE:
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Becomes First Corporation to Install Networked Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles
CHICO, Calif.--Coulomb Technologies, the leader in electric vehicle infrastructure, today announced Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. has installed its ChargePoint™ Networked Charging Stations at its brewery in Chico, CA. The two charging stations are available for patrons and employees of the brewery with electric vehicles. Coulomb's charging stations are an important part of Sierra Nevada's sustainability initiatives that include solar, fuel cells, recycling, energy efficiency, water conservation and transportation improvements. Sierra Nevada is the first corporation to install the ChargePoint networked charging stations.
The Coulomb charging stations will be featured at Chico Fest on Sunday, April 26, 2009 from 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm. Chico Fest is a free event featuring a sustainability focused expo, food, live music and the dedication of Sierra Nevada's new 1.5 MW AC solar system. For more information on Chico Fest visit www.chicofest.com.
"Along with our award-winning brew, we take our commitment to the environment very seriously," said Ken Grossman, owner and founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. "To be the first company to install these charging stations is another milestone in our history and we are proud to lead by example. We hope and expect other organizations will follow in our footsteps in reducing their carbon footprint and our country's dependence on foreign oil."
"Sierra Nevada has a history of initiatives designed to protect our environment," said Richard Lowenthal CEO of Coulomb Technologies. "Coulomb's charging stations bring many benefits to Sierra Nevada and their patrons, including access to a nationwide charging network and advanced Smartphone integration features. By using Coulomb's fully-managed charging station solution for plug-in vehicles, brewery patrons have a safe and secure location to fuel up while dining."
Coulomb's ChargePointSM Network addresses needs of electric vehicle drivers, utilities, governments, and parking space owners. Consumers subscribe to the ChargePoint Network and receive a ChargePoint Smart Card that allows them to charge their car at any ChargePoint station worldwide. To locate available charging stations, visit www.mychargepoint.net and click "Find Stations".
About Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Founded in 1980, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is one of America's first microbreweries. Since its inception, nearly thirty years ago, the brewery has pioneered many innovations to conserve resources and focus on sustainable business practices. Sierra Nevada is regarded as the standard of quality for American craft brewers and has won numerous awards for their world-class ales and lagers.
About Coulomb Technologies, Inc.
Coulomb Technologies, headquartered in Campbell, Calif., offers a family of products and services that provide a plug-in vehicle charging infrastructure, which includes ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations that range in capability from 120V 15A to 240V 80A AC charging to 120kW DC charging. Coulomb applies networking technology to the challenge of charging electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids in order to fuel the electric transportation industry. Coulomb's ChargePoint Network addresses the needs of drivers, utilities, governments, and parking space owners. For more information about Coulomb Technologies please visit the Coulomb Technologies website, http://www.coulombtech.com.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tohe 4:22PM (4/27/2009)
Kudos to them!
Reply
mike 8:35PM (4/27/2009)
If I recall correctly... Fat Tire Brewing in Ft Collins CO ran it's brewery on 100% wind way back in '95 when I lived there.
I do miss the microbrews out west....
..and yes Kudos to these guys and anyone else in business who has the sense and foresight to think of something green besides today's bottom line.
- Mike
Reply
Larry 11:21PM (4/27/2009)
Yes I Agree with Mike & Tohe
Kudos to the Best Beer On and For the Planet.
Way to Go Sierra Nevada!
Although I believe New Belgium Brewing "Fat Tire" bought wind credits, which is great, but they don't have any wind mills at the Brewery in Ft. Collins CO. last time I checked.
Sierra Nevada has the real deal with a full solar array on site at the brewery and now
electric vehicle charge points. Wow! What's next.
Cheers!
Larry
Noah Pollock 8:05AM (4/28/2009)
Over the past fifty years, due to our mechanistic world view and the abundance of cheap fossil fuels, our business processed have been designed, and managed with an almost complete disregard for nature’s operating instructions.
Sierra Nevada's greening efforts are truly laudable. I'm heartened to hear of mainstream businesses finally grasping some of the basic tenents of ecological design, which include the concepts that waste is simply a resource out of place, and all energy, ultimately derives from the sun. These concepts - which are taught through the courses offered at the University of Vermont's Institute for Global Sustainability (http://learn.uvm.edu/igs/) - need to go mainstream. The mission of the Institute for Global Sustainability (IGS) is to educate students and citizens to serve as leaders in the transition to a sustainable world.Sierra Nevada would make a great case study to explore further.
Reply