All About Solar | Green Energy News

November 20, 2005 – Vol.10 No.35

All ABOUT SOLAR.

This week’s news...

Typically rooftop solar systems on commercial buildings provide only a portion of the building’s electrical demand. The rest must come from the grid.

For the Cline Cellars winery production facility in Carneros, California 34,625 square feet of Sharp solar panels cover nearly 70 percent of the 50,000 square foot roof. The optimal power output from 2000 panels is nearly 411 kilowatts: so much power that Cline asked the designer and builder of the solar system, Solarcraft, to upgrade the entire electrical system for the building to handle the extra load.

Prior to installation, Solarcraft convinced Cline to install energy saving lights at the facility as well as a new foam insulated roof that cut cooling costs in the summer by 30 percent.

Solar energy seems a natural choice for vintners. Grapes thrive in the sunlight and from the viewpoint of wine consumers the industry is green and back to earth. Solar power adds to that perception and could help sell bottles of wine.

Visit Solarcraft at http://www.solarcraft.com/ and Cline Cellars at http://www.clinecellars.com/ .