Krones' 'Brewery of the Future' recognised

German packaging and bottling manufacturer Krones has been awarded the 2017 Energy Efficiency Award for its ‘Brewery of the Future’.

Creating more efficient processes is being increasingly sought after, which is why the Krones development team aimed to create an energy-self-sufficient, CO₂-neutral brewery. After several months of research, the company showcased it in September at the sector’s premier trade fair, Drinktec, in Munich.

It recycles residual materials from the brewing process, and excessive thermal and electrical energy can be sold. This makes it self-sufficient in terms of energy.

Krones suggested that for a beer production volume of 2.6 million hectolitres, the brewery generates an annual surplus of 1534 MWh of heat and 1066 MWh of electricity, which can be sold on to other customers. In comparison to a standard brewery, savings on electricity reach 30% while thermal energy savings come to around 60%.

Key components of the brewery include: a biogas system for recovering the residual substances; a modified unit-type cogeneration plant for producing heat and electricity; continuous seven-days-a-week production for smoothing out load peaks; and a filling technology that enables the cooling energy available to be used for secondary processes.

Krones’ Product Manager Dr Ralph Schneid made a speech at the Congress of the German Energy Agency (DENA) which touched on the need for energy efficiency and put forward the Brewery of the Future. This marked the first time that companies could enter for the Energy Efficiency Award, and after three finalists were chosen by an expert jury, live voting during the afternoon crowned Krones as the winner.

Image (l-r): Andreas Kuhlmann, Chairman of the DENA’s Executive Committee; Dr Ralph Schneid, Product Management Breweries Krones AG; Norbert Ottmann, Energy Concepts Consultancy Factories Krones AG. Image source: DENA.