SEM installed 104 thin-film panels at first solar winery in NC.
MOCKSVILLE – RayLen Vineyards & Winery recently threw the switch on what is believed to be the first winery solar installation in the state. Although in recent years dozens of West Coast wineries have taken advantage of state and federal incentives to install solar arrays, to date the practice has been less common in other winegrowing regions.
But electricity costs keep rising — substantially in many locales — and wineries use many, many kilowatts of electricity to run everything from grape stemmers and presses to refrigerated tanks. Tapping solar energy not only can hold down utility bills, but as a source of clean, infinitely renewable energy, it also conveys legitimate green bragging rights to those who employ it.
Options are expanding, as research and product development improves the choices available. This past summer, RayLen installed 104 100-watt solar panels — enough to power everything from pumps to its office lights.
