A solar project announced yesterday by Douglas Green Bellingham is set to cut the company's annual carbon emissions by the same amount as driving a small car from Johannesburg to Cape Town 5,550 times.
The 800kW solar installation planned for the winery's Wellington facility will also make it the largest solar power plant in the domestic wine industry. It will produce 1.2GW, or the equivalent of supplying 3,000 homes with power.
Douglas Green Bellingham CEO Tim Hutchinson said a number of factors motivated the decision to start the project.
"One reason was insurance for power outages going forward.
"The other is the environment and the goal of being carbon neutral. The third is protection against price increases. Solar is a seven- year payback, but if you start getting 14% or 17% increases in electricity as predicted, then this is going to be a smart investment," said Hutchinson.
The system, which will see 2,600 solar panels fitted above warehouses, will produce half the energy, with any surplus exported to the local power grid.
"What makes this unique is the collaboration with the local municipality," said Josch Thilo, senior engineer at Terra Firma Solutions, who designed and will install the power plant.
Hutchinson said the project would be complete by March and that Douglas Green Bellingham had plans to roll out similar projects at its Boschendal and Franschhoek facilities.
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