Solar Energy
A lot of electricity is used in the making of wine. In addition to powering our offices, and running the bottling line, we run air conditioning and humidifiers in the cellar to protect the integrity of the wine aging in barrel. On average, there are 260 sunny days per year in the Napa Valley. So it made perfect sense for us to look to solar as a sustainable energy source.
In August of 2006, we threw the switch on a photovoltaic system consisting of 819 Sanyo 200-watt ground-mounted modules designed to generate enough power to run the winery. But as the winery grew, so did our energy needs. So in August of 2015, we added 696 Bosch 270-watt roof-mounted modules, essentially doubling our power production at the winery. We are continually monitoring our electricity needs, and have plans in the works to update our system to ensure efficiency.
Not only are we saving thousands of dollars a year in electric bills, we are eliminating about 300,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually -- the equivalent of removing 30 standard passenger cars from the roads. We also feed any excess energy we produce back into the grid, for others to use, and when our solar system is not generating power, like on cloudy days, we receive 100% renewal energy through a company called MCE. As a Deep Green Member, we receive electricity that is made up of 50% solar and 50% wind. For more info check out MCE Deep Green.
