Annandale makes ‘major breakthrough’ in net zero whisky
Why does this matter?
World-first renewable energy storage system deployed at Scottish distillery demonstrates how craft beverage producers can eliminate fossil fuels from production while reducing costs—a scalable solution applicable across heat-intensive beverage manufacturing.
Highlights
Scottish distillery Annandale has commissioned what it calls a 'world first' decarbonisation system that will heat its stills with power from wasted wind power. The system is being implemented at the distillery by Edinburgh-based clean heat technology company, Exergy3, and boiler manufacturer Cochran. Described as a 'modular thermal energy storage system', the technology converts renewable electricity from wind power into thermal energy, storing it at ultra-high temperatures and then releasing it at up to 1,200°C. The system is said to turn otherwise wasted electricity into readily available zero-carbon, low-cost heat. The hot air at Annandale – once the system is in place – will reach 530°C and be converted into steam by a boiler supplied by Cochran, which is then used in the distilling process. The system's function is to eliminate fossil fuels from Annandale's distillation, relying on low- and zero-carbon electricity generated from surplus wind power. "This is a first – not just for the whisky industry or Scotland, but globally," claimed professor David Thomson, Annandale Distillery's co-founder. He explained: "Heat-intensive industries like ours are under increasing pressure to decarbonise, and solutions that can deliver high-temperature heat without fossil fuels have been hard to find. "The fact that it does so economically, while also helping tackle the rising costs of balancing the electricity system, makes it incredibly powerful." The system is said to be 'highly efficient', with modules offering more than 10 mWh of storage capacity, a round-trip efficiency of up to 96%, and thermal losses of less than 1% over 24 hours. Annandale Distillery will have three modules, totalling 30 mWh of storage capacity. These will supply hot air to the 3MW Cochran boiler, which will then convert it into steam at 10 bar. The system's footprint is said to be the size of an average garage and is 'extremely compact and quick to install', to the point where it can be 'commissioned within a matter of months'. Decarbonisation plan Annandale believes the move represents a 'major breakthrough' in affordable carbon reduction as industrial heat is 'notoriously difficult' to decarbonise. The distillery also noted that industrial heat is responsible for around 18% of the world's carbon emissions. Business development manager at Cochran, Eric Daglish, said: "Across industry, we see growing interest in alternatives to fossil fuels as companies work towards their carbon reduction goals. "One of the biggest challenges has been finding solutions that are both practical and economically feasible, but this technology shows that it's possible." The new system is part of the distillery's 12-step decarbonisation plan to produce net-zero whisky. Other measures in the plan include bottling and maturing on-site to reduce road travel, a switch to electric vehicles, and waste-reuse options for spent grain and carbon dioxide. Located in Dumfriesshire, Annandale restarted production in November 2014 after an almost 100-year hiatus. Thomson and his wife, Teresa Church, acquired the site in 2007 and reopened it in 2015. The distillery now produces a peated single malt whisky brand called Man O'Sword and an unpeated range titled Man O'Words. Other distilleries in Scotland are also working towards carbon neutrality, including Rosebank in Falkirk, which has recently extended its partnership with green chemical manufacturer Celtic Renewables. Meanwhile, Highlands-based Struie Distillery, which aims to become one of the UK's largest carbon-neutral distilleries, has gained up to £1.57 million (US$2.1m) in funding.
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