Galileo is noted for saying, “Wine is sunlight held together by water.” Now the same sunlight that fuels our vineyard and our beautiful gardens is being harvested to run the Ponte Vineyard Inn: we are very happy to announce the activation of our brand new solar panels!
Made in the USA, these panels are expected to generate 17,000 kilowatt hours per year, which means a smaller impact on the earth and thousands of dollars in savings.
We talked with Tony Hickman at 360 Solar Energy, the company that provided and installed our panels, and he explained why Temecula and Southern California are perfect for harvesting solar energy. The key is that these places are traditionally very sunny, but not too hot. Too much heat can hurt the efficiency of the panels, but the long sunny days are perfect for taking in the sun’s rays. He noted that many wineries up in Northern California are already utilizing solar energy and that he was very happy to see wineries in So Cal following suit.
Solar power has tremendous potential to help curb humanity’s impact on the earth. One study done by the Department of Energy noted that if San Francisco put solar panels on all its government and school buildings it would harness enough electricity to power the entire city! Check out this map that shows where the most solar energy potential exists in the United States (California is right near the top).
And this is just the first wave of panels here at Ponte! Take a look at Claudio’s previous blog to get the details.
Till next time,
–Do you use solar power at home? Or perhaps already have it at your business? Let us know how it has helped you by leaving a comment below.
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