Sustainable Wine Making
Harmony Cellars goes green! A photovoltaic solar system has been installed on the winery this summer. How will this system affect the environment? It will save 8 tons of carbon dioxide, which is the equivalent to driving a car 20,000 miles or planting four acres of trees.
The system will generate enough electricity over the course of the year to power the entire facility. During peak production the system will turn Harmony Cellars meter backwards and distribute any power not used by Harmony Cellars on to the PG&E power grid.
Harmony’s custom solar array was designed and installed by locally owned solar company, A.M. Sun Solar, of Atascadero. A.M. Sun Solar designed the system to generate enough electricity to zero out Harmony Cellars electric bills for 50 years.
Winemaker Chuck Mulligan says, “This is just the most recent addition to Harmony Cellars green ways. The winery building, constructed in 1993, was designed to take advantage of sunlight. Strategically placed windows allow for indirect lighting in the winery, so we can work quite comfortably during sunny days without turning on the lights. The temperature in the winery is kept at cool 60 degrees by only a small exhaust fan that turns on in the evening to draw in the cool coastal air. We even feed the waste grape skins, seeds and stems to the local cows…..they love me!”
A.M. Sun Solar will be hosting a wine tasting featuring the newly solar powered Harmony Cellars as part of the Atascadero Art and Wine Tour, Friday, August 28th 5:30-8:30.
A.M. Sun Solar invites you to come enjoy Harmony Cellars wine and the artwork of Lauren Birkhahn in the diVINE room at the beautiful Carlton Hotel, downtown Atascadero.
Come see what solar energy tastes like, and learn about current incentives for solar energy!