The Tikveš Winery is located in the district of the same name in North Macedonia. Although it is a medium-sized winery, it sells its products to 26 countries, directly employs 216 people, and processes over 30,000 tons of grapes per year, producing 78 types of wine and seven varieties of spirits.
As part of its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategy, Tikveš Winery aims to become a role model for sustainable practices, driving positive change in the wine industry while achieving business success. Recent investments have focused on minimizing the winery’s environmental impact, including the implementation of ESG standards, the installation of a 2.2 MWp photovoltaic power plant, and the adoption of a modern and efficient bottling line.
When looking for a new practical project, the four Energy Scouts Ilina Zafirova, Nikola Jovanovski, Mitko Gjorgjievski and Angel Nikolov scheduled a brainstorming session with experienced engineers and mentors from Tikveš. This session generated 11 initial ideas, with the most significant remaining challenge being the decarbonisation of rakija (or raki) production.
Background: How is Rakija made?
Rakija, Macedonia’s most famous spirit, is a distilled alcohol enjoyed throughout the Balkans and typical for the southeast of Europe. At Tikveš Winery, rakija is produced by distilling wine, a method that achieves a unique flavour and preserves its characteristic aromatics. The process involves gently heating the wine using steam to ensure precise control. This steam is generated by a mazut (heavy fuel oil) boiler at 8 bars of pressure, which is then reduced to the specific pressure and temperature required for distillation. The distillery consumes approximately one ton of steam per hour. As the wine evaporates, it carries alcohol and aromatic compounds with it; this vapor is then cooled to condensate, creating the final spirit.
Aging equipment and inefficiencies
Tikveš Winery currently uses an old distillery, a Hermann model from 1975, which is a large consumer of both heat and water. The heat is generated from mazut, a fossil fuel with significant associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making its replacement a priority. Water is used for the cooling and condensation of the distillate. Significant energy losses occur during both the generation and distribution of this energy.
Due to the age of the equipment, simply replacing the old mazut boiler with a new one would reduce emissions. However, changing the heat source presents a challenge, as the distillation process requires a significant amount of control to preserve the quality and aromatics of the final product.
Identifying a renewable energy solution
The distilling process for rakija runs 24/7 for weeks at a time, making a consistent and reliable steam energy source essential. The primary challenge of decarbonization is to eliminate emissions by replacing the primary energy source for distillation. Any new energy source must meet strict criteria for reliability, scalability, and the cost of investment.
Several innovative renewable energy options were considered, including concentrated solar power (CSP), biomass, and hydrogen. All of these have potential for energy storage and efficiency. However, their primary drawbacks are related to technological maturity and an unreliable supply throughout the year. While intermittency is a core challenge for many renewables, for CSP, biomass, and hydrogen, the required scope of investment and subsequent underutilization made them unsuitable for this project.
Ultimately, electrical energy was chosen, sourced from both a local and an external photovoltaic power plant (PVPP). The challenge of intermittency will be addressed with a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). While electrification is not always the perfect solution, it offers flexibility, reliability, and mature technology and infrastructure.
The solution: a new consumer and a new energy source
The proposed solution involves reconstructing the old continuous distillation system into a vacuum continuous distillation system, which will operate with a High-Temperature Heat Pump (HTHP). The HTHP is powered by electricity and operates with an average efficiency of 2.5 (or 250%). This approach not only electrifies the process but also makes it drastically more efficient, reducing the energy needed to produce the same amount of product in less time.
Approximately one-third of the required energy will be supplied by the existing photovoltaic power plant installed on the company’s roofs. The remaining energy will also be carbon-neutral, supplied by a new 8.83 MWp power plant equipped with a 20 MWh battery system, which is scheduled to be built concurrently with the new distillery. This nearly 9 MW hybrid power plant will be a partner to Tikveš Winery, capable of supplying clean energy at a competitive price 24/7.
In summary, the transition to a vacuum distillery will significantly decrease energy consumption. Furthermore, with the heat being generated by an HTHP with 250% efficiency, the energy source itself is also massively more efficient. This project will reduce the energy required from 3,400 MWh of thermal energy from mazut to just 430 MWh of electrical energy from renewable sources.
The proposed project convinced the jury to award the first place to the team of Tikvesh winery.
Process Optimization
- Industry Sector: winery
- Energy Source: Mazut (heavy fuel oil)
- Energy savings potential: 290 t Mazut
- Water savings: 16,000 m³ water
- CO2 savings potential: 744.4 t CO2 per year
- Potential cost reduction: 136,951 € per year
- Investment costs: 1.1 Mio €
- Payback period: 8.03 years
- Company:
St. 8-mi Septemvri No.5
1430 Kavadarci
North Macedonia
https://tikves.com.mk/en/home/
