The 1.2 megawatt solar system, built by Pacific Power Management, will provide about 50 percent of the winery’s total energy and putting those numbers into environmental benefits will be equal to planting 2500 acres of trees o put another way taking 2,083 cars off the road.

Even though we applaud the massive move toward solar we’d like to see more wineries move toward other sustainable aspects and not just energy related ones. We don’t expect all wineries to start creating organic wines, however several wineries have moved to biodynamic practices or even grow organic grapes. Some wineries continue the sustainable movement with social justice practices such as maintaining a fairly paid, year round labor force instead of hiring lower paid seasonal workers.

We’re all for the tipping a few glasses of solar produced wine but that’s only the first step in bringing a winery to the next level.

INTEL BECOMES LARGEST PURCHASER OF GREEN POWER IN THE U.S.

Company Tops EPA Green Power Partner List, Vows to Drive for Greater Efficiency While Spurring Growth in Renewable Market

I’m sorry but I had to jump on the Green soapbox. Intel announced that it purchased 1.3 billion kilowatt-hours a year of renewable energy certificates as part of a multi-faceted approach to reducing its impact on the environment. That’s great. I’m sure that Intel has its green heart in the right place. But the fact is that they purchased RECs. In the release they state: “Renewable energy certificates, or RECs, are the ‘currency’ of the renewable energy market and are widely recognized as a having credible and tangible environmental benefits.”

I might ruffle a few feathers but RECs are essentially a subsidy for clean-energy producers. Most of us realize that subsidies come from governments but in this case they come from us – consumers – or in this case, Intel. According to one noted London Carbon Trader, “It’s important to note that IN NO WAY does buying a REC mean that there’s going to be any more clean energy built, or any carbon reductions done. It just gives extra money to whoever has already produced it.”

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