NOVATO, CA (March 2020)— Novato and Sonoma based SolarCraft, a leading North Bay solar installer for over 35 years, recently completed the installation of a 193.2 kW DC solar electric system at Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery in Healdsburg, CA.   This large solar power system demonstrates Gary Farrell’s commitment to reduce their energy consumption and enhance the social and environmental sustainability of its operations.  Also looking to reduce operating costs, installing solar power will save them, on average, $64,000 annually in utility fees.

The sprawling solar power system is installed on multiple rooftops over the facility, consisting of 544 high-efficiency 355 watt solar panels and 5 inverters.  The system will produce 253,624 kWh annually and any excess power they generate flows back into the local utility system greatly reducing the strain on the local power grid.

“Converting the winery to solar was a key component of the sustainable winery certification that Gary Farrell Winery recently received from the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance,” says Mike Bellaran, Director of Finance at Gary Farrell.  “We are proud to support Sonoma County’s leadership of the sustainability movement in vineyard and winery operations. The wine business is an industry with such a close connection to the land, stewardship is a natural extension of that relationship. We are also very grateful to SolarCraft for their partnership on this initiative. They helped guide us through every step of the process, from design and permitting through installation, and obtaining permission to operate from PG&E, keeping everything on schedule while working around the harvest and some challenging weather conditions!”

With energy costs skyrocketing, a growing number of vintners are looking for ways to reduce and set their facility operations expenses for the long term. With a 25 year warranty and 40+ year design life on the major system components, this system will be positively affecting Gary Farrell’s bottom line for decades to come.

During the life of the system, nearly 400 metric tons of carbon dioxide generated by Gary Farrell’s operations will be eliminated.  This impact is equivalent to removing air pollution produced by over 445,000 miles of driving annually or the pollutants removed by 212 acres of trees in one year.

About Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery

In 1982, before the Russian River AVA even existed – Gary Farrell crafted his first Pinot Noir from fruit grown in the now-legendary Rochioli Vineyard.  Over the past 36 years, the winery has produced critically acclaimed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, forging a legacy of collaboration between the winery and the most esteemed growers in the Russian River Valley and throughout California’s greatest wine regions.

SolarCraft is 100% Employee-Owned and one of the largest green-tech employers based in the North Bay for over 35 years.  SolarCraft delivers Clean Energy Solutions for homes and businesses including Solar Electric, Solar Pool Heating and Battery / Energy Storage.  With over 8,000 customers, our team of dedicated employee-partners is proud to have installed more solar energy systems than any other company in the North Bay.