Sawmill Brewery

Sawmill Brewery is New Zealand’s only B-Corp certified brewery and ZEN installed its first solar system back in 2018. November 2025, ZEN Energy completed a system expansion, taking the system to a 70 kW system with 161 panels and a premium Huawei inverter in order to meet Sawmill’s increase in brewing production.

We sat down with Kirsty McKay, Sawmill's owner and co-founder to speak about her experiences of the project and with ZEN.

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1. Why did you first decide to go solar?

Sawmill has been utilising solar energy for nearly 20 years however we stepped it up in 2018 because it made sense for how we want Sawmill to operate. Brewing uses a lot of energy, and we wanted to take control of that in a way that reduced our impact. Solar was a practical step we could take straight away to cut emissions, lower long-term operating costs, and show that a New Zealand manufacturer can effectively utilise this form of energy.

How did the expansion of your system come about this year?

The expansion came from growth and from wanting to sharpen our performance on carbon.

Our production has increased, and with that comes higher energy use. Rather than rely on the grid for that extra demand, we chose to scale up our solar so a bigger share of our power is generated on site. ZEN made it straightforward to build on the system we already had, and the timing was right for us to make a bigger commitment.

What have been some highlights of getting solar with ZEN?

The biggest highlight has been how easy the process has been at every stage. ZEN designed systems that genuinely fit our site and our business model, not just a standard layout. Their monitoring tools give us a clear view of what we generate and when, which helps us run the brewery more efficiently. But the real win is that the panels are doing exactly what we wanted — producing clean power every day.

How has solar positively impacted your business and your carbon goals?

Solar cuts straight into our emissions profile. It also makes our costs more stable, which matters in a tight industry. Having solar shifts us towards running the brewery in a way that matches our values: practical, low-impact, and willing to invest in solutions that help us stand behind what we say about sustainability.

As NZ's only B Corp brewery, what support would you like to see for others to follow?

It would help to see more industry support for energy efficiency, low-carbon technology, and shared information across breweries. EECA was doing amazing work on this but their funding was recently cut. Many operators want to improve but don’t always know where to start or how to afford the first steps. Clearer pathways, funding for decarbonisation projects, and better access to tools like solar would make it easier for more breweries to move in this direction.

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2025 Products

• 70.84kW Huawei Grid-tied 3P Solar PV System
• 161 LONGi Panel 440W

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“The biggest highlight has been how easy the process has been at every stage. ZEN designed systems that genuinely fit our site and our business model. Their monitoring tools give us a clear view of what we generate and when, which helps us run the brewery more efficiently. But the real win is that the panels are doing exactly what we wanted — producing clean power every day."
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-- Kirsty McKay, Sawmill co-founder