Since last night's Super Bowl matchup ended up being a real snoozer, resulting in the lowest scoring Super Bowl in history, more attention could be placed on hot issues-- like the commercials.

Everyone's tastes surely vary, but I'm willing to bet that Budweiser putting out their Bob Dylan-backed ad that touted that Budweiser was now brewed with 100% renewable electricity, namely wind power was one that caught the attention of people on this site. If you missed the ad because you were getting a refill of nachos, here it is:

In an ad that doesn't really tap into controversy or politics, Budweiser surely felt they would garner positive PR from energy and climate conscious viewers and beer drinkers. Surely, the feel-good commercial celebrates wind energy and that's a great thing.

But of course, there are bones to pick. First, Budweiser plants are certainly not 100% powered directly by renewable energy-- not to mention the trucks used for delivery are obviously not renewably powered. The claim of 100% renewable has a bit of an ill-time 'Mission Accomplished' banner that declares victory when there's still work to do. As this Twitter user points out, Budweiser is making these claims based on renewable energy credits (RECs) that are allowed to offset their actual emissions and give them a carbon neutral footprint on the books.

Source: Twitter

Of course, purchasing RECs is better than being a heavy emitter and not purchasing RECs. But the large stage of this commercial leads to my slight annoyance at this framing by Budweiser-- they are not 100% powered by renewable energy in a real sense. The grid delivering their energy has coal and gas contributing to it, and that's unavoidable.

In the end, though, that's not to say the actions aren't admirable, demonstrating progress and showing leadership. I just get wary of large companies oversimplifying the complex issues behind a clean energy push. But in the end, I do tip my cap to Budweiser for the action, but urge a bit more clarity to the common viewer about what they are doing.

Not everyone tips their caps, though, as predictably the large beer brewer has seen pushback from fossil fuel backers in light of this green push. This article from Energy and Policy does a great job highlighting the pushback received from the fossil fuel industry, including the following:

Kentucky Coal Assocation attacked the ad, an attack backed by ClimateDepot.com (another coal-backed group)

The American Energy Alliance, a group funded by coal interests and the Koch brothres, called the ad a joke

Anti-wind activist Kevon Martis protested by posting a video of him dumping a can of the company's beer on the ground (that'll show them?)

What did you see or hear surrounding the Budweiser wind-energy ad? Did it spark interest or questions from non-energy professionals at your Super Bowl viewing parties? Do you hope to see more ads like this in the future? Are you more inclined to buy products that are created with clean energy sources?