Save the World Brewing, Freedom Solar Power team up to bring energy-efficient beer to Marble Falls

Brewery to celebrate second anniversary, new solar array at family-friendly event Sept. 24  

Save the World Brewing Co. will celebrate its second anniversary and the completion of its new rooftop solar array, designed and installed by Freedom Solar Power, at a family-friendly event on Saturday, Sept. 24, 1- 6 p.m. at the brewery and tasting room, 1510 Resource Parkway.

The event is free and open to the public and will include tours of the facility and its recent sustainability improvements, the release of two new beers (an imperial pumpkin ale and a tasting room exclusive sour ale), food by local vendors Thai Gourmet Food Truck and M’Lady’s, games for kids and adults, and more.

Save the World Brewing Co.’s new 49-kilowatt solar array, comprised of nearly 150 solar panels, is expected to offset more than 80 percent of the brewery’s energy needs.

Founded by husband and wife team Dave and Quynh Rathkamp, the purely philanthropic microbrewery produces craft Belgian-style beers and donates 100 percent of its proceeds to charities including Food for the Hungry, Meals on Wheels, and the Highland Lakes Habitat for Humanity.

“Over the 25-year guaranteed lifetime of the system, the solar array will save the brewery more than $250,000. This is money they’ll be able to use to further their philanthropic mission to save the world one beer at a time,” says Kyle Frazier, Freedom Solar Power’s director of sales.

In addition, the solar array will offset more than 1,185 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents. This is comparable to 376 tons of waste being recycled instead of going to a landfill, 250 cars taken off the road a year, or 9.4 acres of forest being preserved.

Quynh Rathkamp says: “We’ve always wanted to have solar on the brewery, and it was just a matter of when it would become plausible. Most of our sustainability developments at the brewery have been added in the past year, and we’re excited to show off the improvements at our second anniversary celebration.”

Aside from the new solar array, the brewery’s other sustainable developments include greywater catchment, LED lighting, instant hot water, an electric car charger, ozonator, an insulated cold liquor tank, among others.

The Rathkamps interviewed four solar companies servicing the Central Texas area before deciding to hire Freedom Solar Power.

“In choosing Freedom, it came down to the fact that they were highly ranked and rated, had excellent customer satisfaction, and a great product. They were extremely willing to work with us on our needs, and they don’t outsource any of their work,” says Quynh Rathkamp.

The Rathkamps want their brewery to become a destination that introduces more people to their town. “Marble Falls is a beautiful place to live or visit, and the water here is nearly identical to the water in regions of Belgium that make some of the best beer in the world,” says Quynh Rathkamp.

“With its strong focus on charitable giving, Save the World Brewing Co. is a civic leader in its community. When other small business owners and homeowners in Marble Falls see solar panels on its roof, that makes the idea of going solar seem that much more acceptable and realistic to them. The proliferation of solar in rural towns is becoming a movement, and it’s one of many tipping points in the emerging acceptance of solar as the dominant energy source of the 21st century,” says Frazier.

For more information about Freedom Solar, visit http://www.freedomsolarpower.com/. To learn more about Save the World Brewing Co. and its second anniversary and solar celebration on Sept. 24, go to http://www.savetheworldbrewing.com/.