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Wineries Succesfully Utilizing Renewable Energy Resources

Friday, December 18, 2009

Can wine be "green" friendly too? Absolutely. Wineries worldwide are utilizing renewable energy technologies, like solar energy, to cut costs and improve overall efficiency. And in states that offer tax rebates and federal tax breaks for green practices, businesses can earn a quicker return on a smart, earth-friendly investments.

Here's how a few are pioneering the way:

- EOS Winery, which is located on California's Central Coast, is making efforts to convert to 100% solar power. The winery is currently using three solar power systems, including a 504 kWp photovoltaic (PV) tracking system that spans two acres.

- Foster's Wine Estates, which includes Beringer Vineyards and Asti in Sonoma County and Etude and Stags' Leap Wineries in Napa Valley, have collectively utilized three megawatts of photovoltaic energy to meet their daily operation needs.

- J Lohr Winery boasts a 3-acre PV panel installation in Paso Robles that will cut approximately 75% of the winery's energy use and reduce carbon emissions by 30,000 tons over the next 25 years.

- Honig Vineyard & Winery recently installed a PV system that, over the next 30 years, is estimated to prevent the emission of over 7.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide.

- Grgich Hills of Napa Valley boasts a commercial photovoltaic system that produces an estimated 170.08 kilowatts of electricity during peak production hours. The PV system was designed to meet 100% of the winery's energy needs.

- Seventeen different Oregon wineries accepted a challenge from Governor Kulongoski, the Oregon Wine Board and the Environmental Council. The challenge, which seeks to encourage greener practices among the participating wineries, is called the Carbon Neutral Challenge Initiative and involves two stages. First, the Energy Trust of Oregon will provide free energy audits, and second, each winery will have their carbon footprint assessed. A variety of energy efficiency measures will be implemented to help the wineries successfully meet the challenge.

The wine industry is one of many industries worldwide that are turning to solar as a viable and more efficent source of energy. In fact,in 2007, solar photovoltaic panel installations green 62% worldwide and in the U.S., solar photovolatic panel production increased by 57% (solarbuzz.com).

With increasing solar energy demand comes increased solar panel productions and installations. Interested in this growing field? Look into solar and green career training programs. For example, you could take an online Introduction to Photovoltaic Systems course and prepare for the NABCEP entry-level certification exam. It's the perfect way to get your foot in the door of a growing industry that's changing the way the world does business.

Posted by Danielle Darany @ 2:57 PM • 0 comments