Video: Our Long Road to Solar Power

By Tim Spence
20 July 2012   |   

 

Prior to installing the new solar arrays we unveiled here at Jordan Winery last week, we chose to focus our efforts on a six-year program to reduce our energy consumption to the lowest possible level. I felt strongly about reducing our energy use before converting to solar power. In the rush to get off the grid, many businesses have been ‘solarizing’ their inefficiencies — using the sun to power their overconsumption of energy. We too were tempted by the rebates and the desire to make our imprint on the Earth as small as possible, as fast as possible. But I’m glad we waited. Reduce use first: that’s been our guiding principle.

In the video below, I discuss our long road to energy efficiency and the finale to all our reduction efforts: an American-made solar system. Since Jordan’s switch from electrical to solar on June 29, our CO₂ offset, as of today, is equivalent to planting 500 trees. The array was projected to handle 75 percent of the winery’s electricity needs, but initial reports on the amount of solar power we are generating, even during the busy bottling season, indicate it could produce more than 90 percent. You can see the environmental impact of our solar use in real time here.