Drinking more sustainable beer and being part of the circular economy community by consumption choosing is an interesting story for customers. The global and world's leading malt producer Boortmalt applies thermal power to produce the raw material for beer. The largest thermal power system in France is located in Issoudun, which can annually reduce carbon emissions by around a thousand cars. 

The global price of gas depends on many unpredictable and uncontrollable issues or reasons, such as Russo-Ukrainian War. The global crisis of energy indirectly affects the cost of producing the malt for Boortmalt. The reliable and stable energy resource is important for the food industries.

In Issoudun, the Boortmalt malting plant has built the largest solar thermal system in the country and it already has put into operation a year ago. This system provides 10% of the heating needs to the plant. This malting plant is the largest plant of its kind, which spans an area of 14,252 m2, compared to the heating capacity.

Although the solar panels look similar to the transitional thermal system, it is way different. There is water flowing through the solar panels and heat by thermal power. The thermal is to heat water instead of generating electricity. 

Boortmalt gained a subsidy of more than 3 million euros from the French government to build this solar thermal power plant. In addition, the project of this power plant was the winner of the 2018 RFP for ‘Large-scale solar thermal plants’, organized by ADEME, the French Agency for Ecological Transition (Agence de l’environnement et de la maîtrise de l’énergie). The aim of the initiative is to promote the search for alternative energy solutions. 

The solar thermal panel plant generates 8.5 GWh of renewable, low-carbon heat per year. It can provide 10% of the energy needed for the malting plant, which can annually reduce carbon emissions by around a thousand cars. 

© Boortmalt