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- Chris Boiling
- 2023-04-25
Faced with the prospect of power shut-offs during the busy harvest period, three Californian wineries are buying an eco-friendly solar-plus-storage microgrid.
The three Mendocino County wineries, owned by Champagne Louis Roederer, have signed a contract with Coldwell Solar to design a microgrid system suitable for a wildfire-prone region, with ESS selected to provide the energy storage component (below).
Each of the Anderson Valley wineries – Roederer Estate, Scharffenberger Cellars and Domaine Anderson – will get an Energy Warehouse system that provides up to 12 hours of flexible energy capacity. Coldwell Solar worked with the wineries to design a system that meets their needs for clean, reliable energy.
“We intend to break ground in early summer of 2023 and expect completion by fall of 2023,” Roederer Estate winemaker and senior vice-president Arnaud Weyrich told Canopy.
He added: “The wineries are located in a beautiful, remote part of northern California. In the last few years, because of drought and elevated risk of wildfires, PG&E, which owns the distribution powerlines, began implementing ‘Public Safety Power Shutoffs.’ The height of the risk of these outages coincides with the grape harvest (August to October), when the wineries’ need for reliable energy peaks. We have employed diesel-powered generators to mitigate that risk but eliminating the use of fossil fuels is a key goal going forward.
“An energy storage solution also will lower demand on the microgrid at peak times, will lessen the strain on the local grid and help manage our energy costs. This project aligns well with the entire Roederer family of properties and our promise to be good stewards of the land we manage.”
The panels and batteries will be located away from the main buildings, so they won’t spoil the beauty of the Roederer Estate (below), Scharffenberger Cellars (centre) and Domaine Anderson (bottom).
Sean Hood, COO of Coldwell Solar, commented: “The wineries needed an energy storage solution that could withstand the elements and operate safely in a wildfire-prone region. With its inherent safety and low-carbon footprint, ESS technology was the only option that meets the energy resilience and sustainability needs of our customer.”
As well safeguarding against the impacts of PSPS events and other grid interruptions, the long-duration energy storage system should help the wineries avoid significant demand charges and realise energy savings.
“We’re pleased to support these wineries’ commitment to sustainability while providing the energy security needed to continue delivering economic benefits to the Mendocino region,” said Hugh McDermott, SVP of business development for ESS.
The three Mendocino County wineries, owned by Champagne Louis Roederer, have signed a contract with Coldwell Solar to design a microgrid system suitable for a wildfire-prone region, with ESS selected to provide the energy storage component (below).
Each of the Anderson Valley wineries – Roederer Estate, Scharffenberger Cellars and Domaine Anderson – will get an Energy Warehouse system that provides up to 12 hours of flexible energy capacity. Coldwell Solar worked with the wineries to design a system that meets their needs for clean, reliable energy.
“We intend to break ground in early summer of 2023 and expect completion by fall of 2023,” Roederer Estate winemaker and senior vice-president Arnaud Weyrich told Canopy.
He added: “The wineries are located in a beautiful, remote part of northern California. In the last few years, because of drought and elevated risk of wildfires, PG&E, which owns the distribution powerlines, began implementing ‘Public Safety Power Shutoffs.’ The height of the risk of these outages coincides with the grape harvest (August to October), when the wineries’ need for reliable energy peaks. We have employed diesel-powered generators to mitigate that risk but eliminating the use of fossil fuels is a key goal going forward.
“An energy storage solution also will lower demand on the microgrid at peak times, will lessen the strain on the local grid and help manage our energy costs. This project aligns well with the entire Roederer family of properties and our promise to be good stewards of the land we manage.”
The panels and batteries will be located away from the main buildings, so they won’t spoil the beauty of the Roederer Estate (below), Scharffenberger Cellars (centre) and Domaine Anderson (bottom).
Sean Hood, COO of Coldwell Solar, commented: “The wineries needed an energy storage solution that could withstand the elements and operate safely in a wildfire-prone region. With its inherent safety and low-carbon footprint, ESS technology was the only option that meets the energy resilience and sustainability needs of our customer.”
As well safeguarding against the impacts of PSPS events and other grid interruptions, the long-duration energy storage system should help the wineries avoid significant demand charges and realise energy savings.
“We’re pleased to support these wineries’ commitment to sustainability while providing the energy security needed to continue delivering economic benefits to the Mendocino region,” said Hugh McDermott, SVP of business development for ESS.
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