Ska Brewing Co. installs solar panels

Ska Brewing Co. has installed 223 solar panels – which will generate enough energy to brew approximately 545,000 pints of beer each year – at its world headquarters at 225 Girard St. in Durango.

Ska Brewing Co. has installed 223 solar panels at its world headquarters at 225 Girard St. in Durango. These new solar panels will generate enough energy to brew approximately 545,000 pints each year.

The brewery has partnered with Durango’s Shaw Solar to install a grid-tied solar-power system on as much of the surface area of its roof as possible – 68 kilowatts.

These new solar panels join the insulation in the brewery’s walls made out of blue jeans, the bar and tables made from bowling alley lanes, and grass and flowers irrigated by recycled water as part of the company’s long-term sustainability plan. They will provide about a quarter of the brewery’s electricity. The rest is wind-powered.

“This project with Shaw was a long time coming,” said Ska Founder Dave Thibodeau in a news release. “We’ve always aligned our company mission with sustainability efforts, especially those that directly impact Durango. Now, we can proudly say that our independently owned craft brewery is now independent from the grid.”