Hawkesbury Brewing Co says excess rooftop solar powers immersion-cooled rigs that generate about $2,000 a month while supplying all hot water needs.
Hawkesbury Brewing Co in Lisarow on New South Wales’ Central Coast has integrated 16 Bitcoin miners into its brewing system, using their waste heat to supply all of the site’s hot water needs for beer production and bottle cleaning. The miners use immersion cooling (submerging machines in non-conductive liquid), heating that liquid to roughly 90°C before a heat exchanger warms incoming town water for brewing and sanitation. The setup supports production of 100,000 litres of beer each month. The system runs only on excess solar power from rooftop panels and operates when generation exceeds on-site demand, meaning the rigs do not draw electricity from the grid. The brewery says that gives the mining operation a net-zero carbon footprint. Developed with Synergy Infrastructure, the project is described as the first of its kind in the global brewing industry. The mining operation generates about $2,000 in monthly Bitcoin rewards, helping nearly offset electricity costs. The brewery turned to the model because surplus rooftop solar exported to the grid delivered weak returns, while battery storage near an alcohol production site raised safety concerns. By mining Bitcoin and reusing the heat, the business converts excess power into both crypto income and process heat that would otherwise have required gas or electric water heating. Professor Sean Foley from Macquarie University said the approach shows how Bitcoin mining heat can be recovered for industrial use and could offer a template for other businesses facing similar energy constraints. The initiative drew wider attention after an ABC News report on July 24-25, 2026. For investors and businesses assessing similar systems, Bitcoin price swings remain the main risk: the value of the roughly $2,000 monthly reward can rise or fall sharply, while the heating benefit remains even if the token price weakens.