SOLAR FOR WINERY: FLOATOVOLTAICS

Ever thought of floating the idea of a solar installation at a business? Far Niente Winery in California’s Napa Valley wine region did. And now a 477-kilowatt array is floating on a nearby irrigation pond instead of taking up valuable grape-growing acreage. It is also preventing evaporation loss and algae growth on the pond while providing all the winery’s electricity.

The first-of-its-kind "floatovoltaic" technology was developed by Thompson Technology Industries Inc. and installed by SPG Solar, both owned by Dan Thompson. Gopal Shanker of Recolte Energy and Dirk Hampson, a Far Niente partner, assisted in the planning.

A $2 million cash rebate from PG&E as well as a federal tax credit and an accelerated depreciation plan helped finance the $4.2 million project.

Iris Chan, marketing coordinator, SPG Solar: "The wine industry is definitely on the leading edge in terms of adopting and accepting solar and renewable energy solutions…They really want to take care of their land, and what better way than with renewable energy?"

Floatovoltaics - click to enlarge

Winery goes solar with ‘Floatovoltaics’
Jim Doyle, May 29, 2008 (San Francisco Chronicle)

WHO
Far Niente Winery (Larry McGurie, president); SPG Solar;

Floatovoltaics - click to enlarge

WHAT
Far Niente has complete installation of its ‘Floatovoltaic” solar energy installation: To save grape-growing acreage, a large part of the installation floats on an irrigation pond.

WHEN
- Far Niente winery facilities (tasting room, carriage house, commercial kitchen, azalea gardens, fountains) were built in 1885.
- The installation was 2 ½ years in the creation.

Floatovoltaics - click to enlarge

WHERE
- The winery is in Oakville in California’s Napa Valley wine region.
- SPG Solar is in Novato, CA.

WHY
- Far Niente is loose Italian for "without a care" or "with nothing to do."
- It is known for its Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay and produces ~35,000 cases of wine/year.
- The solar installation consists of 994 floating Sharp solar panels and an additional 306 fixed Sharp panels. Each panel is 3 fett by 5 feet and puts out 208 watts.
- It cost $4.2 million and generates 477 kilowatts (peak), 100% of the winery requirement.
994 panels float over the irrigation pond on 130 foam-filled pontoons made from plastic, ribbed, vineyard drain pipe.
- It is the first of its kind. Small scale things have been done and a $5 million solar island is being planned for the UAE but no solar installation this big has been done before.

Floatovoltaics - click to enlarge

QUOTES
- Larry McGuire, president, Far Niente: "I was nervous about making this presentation to my partners because it's a lot of money and could be used to purchase a vineyard…If you're just trying to deal with profitability, certainly short-term profitability, you probably wouldn't make this decision. But if you're thinking about long-term profitability - and with a social conscience - that's where you'll probably come to the conclusion that this is a good thing…We're privately held. We have five owners. All of us would like to see more private business taking a position to resolve our energy problems and global warming issues."
- Greg Allen, winemaker/president, Dolce late-harvest wines on the Far Niente estate & MIT-trained engineer: "There were so many opportunities to throw in the towel because of technical complexities, regulatory hurdles and runaway costs…We started out with a goal, and every hurdle was an opportunity to find a creative solution."