LONDONDERRY – A leading New Hampshire beer distributor, Bellavance Beverage Co., will soon be powered by 3,088 solar panels, offsetting more than 100% of the company’s annual electricity needs while cutting costs and carbon pollution. Bellavance Beverage Co. and friends toasted the new 1.16 MW solar installation with a socially-distanced “Solar Oktoberfest” celebration last week, featuring traditional German fare along with tours of the 115,000 square-foot solar roof overlooking Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. The 1,158-kilowatt DC solar array (800-kilowatt AC) is being installed by ReVision Energy, a local employee-owned solar company, and is projected to generate 1,321,541 kWh of clean electricity annually – enough to offset 1.4 million pounds of CO2 emissions or brew 77,000 barrels of German beer every year.

Bellavance Beverage Co. President Joe Bellavance IV made some remarks, saying “It fit with our commitment to reducing the footprint we leave behind for future generations. We spend a lot time preparing our kids for the future but often overlook the environment we are leaving them. The products we sell are largely agricultural – hops, barley – and depend on reliable water sources. We need the planet to be able to support those things for a long, long time.”

Mayor Joyce Craig, of the City of Manchester, also spoke briefly. Representatives from Senator Maggie Hassan and Congressman Chris Pappas’ offices read letters from the Senator and Congressman, respectively. State Senators Sharon Carson, Lou D’Allesandro, and Kevin Cavanaugh were all in attendance, as was State Representative Doug Thomas, Londonderry Town Councilor Deb Paul, and Londonderry Town Manager Kevin Smith.