Generation of electricity from renewable sources is already practised and relies on exploiting the locally available renewable energy source to partially or totally meet the electricity demand of the food and beverage manufacturers. The integration of renewable electricity into the existing energy supply is well established and it can be employed directly during the manufacturing of food and beverages, while the excess from production can instead be fed into the electric networks under certain conditions.
The integration of renewable heat into the production processes has large potential in several subsectors of the food and beverage manufacturing sector and can be implemented wherever there is a heating demand, e.g. in beer, wine and cheese manufacturing. Depending on the sector (i.e. the amount of heat and the temperature needed) the renewable heat system (such as solar thermal) can be integrated differently. Renewable heat can be generated from solar heating systems, biomass or biogas. However, the choice of renewable heat is made depending on the local conditions, whether locally produced biomass and suitable feedstock for biogas production and/or if annual solar radiation is considerable.