Butcherknife Brewing

Our story

The panels at Butcherknife Brewing Company produces about 30 percent of the building’s electricity. Our owner Nate Johansing has worked with several companies in the past that had a strong focus on sustainability. His interest in maintaining this practice has been built into the Butcherknife Brewing Company’s Mission Statement. We have a 12.5-kilowatt system, (44) 280 watt solar modules mounted on a seasonally adjustable building integrated racking system. It produces 25 to 30 percent of the electricity used at the brewery. With the help from Sue Holland, at Emerald Mountain Energy, we were able to secure a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture that would cover 25 percent of the project’s cost.

The brewery will be able to depreciate the equipment and take advantage of an income tax credit; 30 percent of the cost of the system can be directly deducted from income taxes. “It definitely makes it attractive,” Johansing said. “If those tax credits stay around, it will only influence more people to do it. We need more green energy incentives, and we need more elected officials who are going to support that.” The payback is expected to be between 10 and 12 years.