| Solar panels, efficiency measures earn green building certification for winery |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Photo courtesy of Mike Haverkate, Stoller Vineyards
|
The solar panels on Stoller Vineyards’ Dayton, Oregon winery blend in well with the rest of the building, appearing as just another part of the roof. The panels are just one of many features built into the building that fit the Stollers’ philosophy of low inputs and high efficiency.
“I’m interested in creating products with the lowest inputs possible,” explains Bill Stoller. “And I was excited about the idea of harnessing power from the sun.”
In 2006, Stoller Vineyards became the first winery in the United States to be certified as a green building through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. The solar photovoltaic system, use of recycled materials, and energy-efficiency measures all helped the winery achieve the benchmarks in the certification system.
Stoller Vineyards received a tax credit from the Oregon Department of Energy for 35% of the costs of the photovoltaic system and several of the efficiency measures (this credit was raised in 2007 to 50% for renewable energy projects). They also received incentives from the Energy Trust of Oregon.
“They predicted a payback period of about 12 years for our system,” explains Bill Stoller. “It was estimated to produce about fifty percent of the electricity the winery consumes. So far, it has exceeded our expectations.”
The system was expected to produce about 42,000 kilowatt hours per year, but produced 57,000 last year. Based on the monthly reports so far, Bill Stoller expects it will produce about 50,000 kWh this year.
He navigates to a website that provides monthly reports of the system’s power production. The website also displays the amount of carbon dioxide reductions because of the solar panel system. For the month of October, reductions were estimated at 70 percent.
Energy efficiency measures at the winery include processing facilities designed to maximize gravity flow of juice, lessening the energy needed to move product around. The building has an automated lighting system, insulation levels that are 70% above code requirements, and skylights in the fermentation room. Much of the timber used in beams, stairs, and floors inside and outside the building is recycled material.
Stoller Vineyard’s energy accomplishments have even received attention from local media, the Sundance Channel, and wine magazines. “I’m not sure if [the media attention] drives people to seek out our wine in the store,” Bill Stoller says, “But once people come here and see how we operate, I think they remember us.”
|
|
|
|
