Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery

A Solar-Powered Boulder Brewery

The popular Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery installed a solar power system at its historic Pearl Street location in Boulder in October 2010. The 9.856 kW solar PV system covers an area of approximately 1,000 square feet and is capable of producing more than 12,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per year. The array itself is comprised of forty-four, American-made Sharp solar modules, each capable of generating 240 Watts of continuous power under optimal conditions.  Patrons and staff of the Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery are able to view real-time systems performance and energy consumption data via a wireless monitoring system located inside the establishment.

The Mountain Sun’s solar PV system will significantly reduce current electric costs, and serve as a hedge against future electric cost increases. Additionally, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calculators, the electricity produced by the solar PV system will offset 256 tons of CO2 over 25 years, which is roughly equivalent to 13,000 pounds of coal. The price of their system was more than compensated for by a $5.09/watt cumulative offset from a combination of upfront rebates, tax credits, and accelerated depreciation.

The Mountain Sun system is one of several commercial solar power systems installed by Independent Power Systems on businesses in the downtown Boulder, Colorado area, including 1505 Pearl, 1155 Canyon, 1320 Pearl, 1526 Spruce, and the Boulder County Courthouse, among others. 

Prior to the brewery installation, the owner had Independent Power Systems install a PV system on his residence.