Lucky Lab Brew Pub on Hawthorne threw their sustainable hats into the ring with a new solar thermal system, installed in December. They are the first brewery in Portland to utilize this type of system to brew their beer. The installation of the rooftop solar thermal collector panels — 16 in all — means that the hot water needed to make their popular brews will now get a boost from the sun. Even in winter. Even in Portland.

And the fact that Lucky Lab is located in Portland, a city with the most breweries per capita than any other city in the world and ranked as one of the nation’s most sustainable, is a feather in the cap of the breweries’ owners.

“It’s a no-brainer,” says Gary Geist, co-owner of Lucky Labrador Brewing Co. “It will definitely help with the energy costs. The initial outlook is good and I’m curious to see just how much it will save us. Last week we had 3 days of sun and we got 900 gallons of water up to 145 degrees, well on the way to the 160 to 200 degrees needed for brewing. The air temperature outside was around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It will be exciting to see what will happen with several days of sunshine in the spring and summer.”

Geist and co-owner Alex Stiles contracted with Ra Energy, a solar hot water solution company, to design and install the system for the Hawthorne location, with plans in the works to apply the technology to the Lucky Lab on NW Quimby in the near future. Ra Energy also advised and served as a liaison in obtaining permits and energy credits and customized the technology they use to be specific to the needs of a brewery.

Following the installation Lucky Lab is looking at reduced energy costs for the next 25 years. After the initial system costs are paid for in energy savings (approximately three years), annual energy costs for heating water for the brewery and restaurant will be decreased substantially.

What to watch for next? Sun beer. Lucky Lab will begin brewing Portland’s newest liquid sunshine soon and presenting it at the Portland Brewer’s Fest this summer.