May 20 2010
Bethel Heights Vineyard has announced that it will be building a 60kW solar-electric system at its vineyard in Salem, Oregon.
The family-owned vineyard, established in 1977 and producing premium wines since 1984-in the State of Oregon will be installing solar power in furtherance of its goals toward sustainability, while reducing and stabilizing its energy costs. Bethel Heights has produced wines that are “Certified Sustainable” by the Low Input Viticulture and Enology program (“LIVE”) and Salmon Safe since the 1999 vintage and the solar installation will help Bethel Heights continue to exceed the standards for Oregon Certified Sustainable Wine™.
The Bethel Heights solar installation will be conducted by Solar Nation, Inc., headquartered in Portland, Oregon and will include 260 SolarWorld 230W solar modules, made in Hillsboro, Oregon. This system will supply approximately 40% percent of the electrical energy needs for the entire winery and vineyard operation. Financing for the system will be provided by NW Farm Credit.
"We have been committed to sustainability and the environment since our inception in 1977 and have been looking at ways to improve. Solar Nation was able to help us understand how we could use a solar-electric system to help our company achieve its goals from a financial, environmental, ethical and local perspective. We saw the solar electric system as presenting a unique opportunity to be good stewards of the environment while making our business more competitive in the future," said Patricia Dudley, Co-owner of Bethel Heights Vineyard.
"We are very excited to be working with Bethel Heights to build its solar-electric system. We share many philosophies with Bethel Heights, namely their commitment to excellence and their proven track record of success. Once installed, Bethel Heights will be able to generate 40% of its power on site, providing immediate savings, making it a stronger business and a stronger employer. The public benefits because power is generated locally, reducing pressure on transmission lines, while cutting carbon emissions and improving the environment. And Bethel’s customers benefit by knowing that their wines are produced in a sustainable and responsible manner," said Paul Hodge, CEO of Solar Nation.
It is estimated that over its 25-year warranted life, Bethel’s solar-energy system will keep 1,189 tons of CO2 from entering the environment. This is the equivalent of driving an automobile over 1,514,757 miles or the annual CO2 offset of over 47,563 trees.
Source: http://www.solarnation.com/