Solar Power-Producing Winery

Rodney Strong Vineyards collects sunlight and turns it into power with an array of solar panels on the roof of our 100,000 square-foot barrel building. These 4,032 panels produce a significant portion of the winery’s power needs and greatly reduce the environmental impact that would otherwise occur from commercial power production. After the first six years of operation, the system produced 5.47 gigawatt hours of electricity, which helped avoid the release of 2904 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. That is equivalent to not driving 6,067,304 miles, and is enough to power 457 homes for an entire year. The energy efficiency measures are projected to reduce our annual energy usage by 35 percent and electricity costs by 40 percent. In 2004, the winery was honored to receive a Green Power Leadership Award, given jointly by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Center for Resource Solutions

System Peak Capacity: 766 kW
Solar Electric Panels: 4,032
PV surface area: 80,000 square feet
Date Completed: December 2003

The solar project is just one part of our ongoing effort to be an environmentally responsible business within our community. Although we are always striving for improvement, our strategies to conserve energy, water, materials and other resources, along with our practices to prevent pollution and waste, have allowed us to achieve a Green Business Certificate from the Sonoma County Green Business Program. The program is offered through a partnership among business leaders, government agencies and nonprofit organizations. The goal is to publicly recognize and promote businesses that comply with local, state, and federal environmental regulations and implement sound environmental practices. We believe we are doing our part for our community today, and for generations to come.