In what some hope will be the start of a trend among Madera-area farmers and growers, San Joaquin Wine Company, Inc. has flipped the switch on its expansive solar-panel project. Energy contractors estimate the energy saved could be as much as normally used by more than 350 homes.
Nearly 2,500 photovoltaic panels that generate 734 kilowatt-hours of electricity — an average home uses about two or three, in comparison — were installed in a little more than a month on a 4.5 acre site next to the winery’s main location on Avenue 16.
Scott Wallace, solar project developer with Elk-Grove-based Spectrum Energy Development, Inc. said the panels provide 100 percent of the company’s electricity needs and will help it save nearly $6 million in energy costs over their 30-year life span.
He said it was important to negate San Joaquin Wine Company’s heavier-than-average energy use because it not only packs and ships its own wines but for several other local growers as well...