EOS Estate Winery goes solar

According to EOS, the winery is also one of the first statewide to use an energy-efficient system that actively tracks the sun throughout the day, thereby increasing the solar system’s production. The winery’s new owner, Jeff Hopmayer, said he strongly believes in producing eco-friendly wines.

“From the first day, we knew that investing in a solar power system was one of our highest priorities,” he said in a statement after purchasing the winery in August with his partners at Sapphire Wines LLC. “By using alternative energy, we are doing our part to protect our environment while continuing to produce the highest quality wine.”

It’s a $3.8 million project that calls for installation of two-plus acres of ground mounted solar tracking arrays to provide the electrical power for its winery and tasting room. Additional roof mounted solar arrays will provide all the hot water needs.

It’s Hopmayer’s expectation that 100 percent of the wastewater that exits the building will be able to be re-used and sprayed on the vines. The 124,000 square-foot winery announced its plans last September. Hopmayer estimated that the winery produces about 230,000 cases per year. Only a year ago when he purchased it, the winery was producing around 80,000 cases annually, he said.

“When you consider how fast it’s growing, it’s remarkable,” he said.

EOS contracted with Sacramento-based SunTechnics for the solar installation. SunTechnics will use state-of-the-art single axis technology that actively tracks the sun’s path as it moves across the sky throughout the day, according to EOS.

“Standard solar power systems harvest the sun’s power only at peak levels during the day” Florian Edler, CEO of SunTechnics Energy Systems, Inc., said in a statement. “The system that we created for EOS will follow the sun all day avoiding any shading. This will allow EOS to operate on 100 percent solar power in the most efficient way possible.”

The EOS system will contain 3,084 photovoltaic modules totaling 540-kilowatt peak and 60 solar hot water collectors. The system will save the equivalent of 360 acres of planted trees and more than 21,000 tons of carbon dioxide over 25 years, according to a release.

Officials from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth and the city of Paso Robles commended EOS on the project, according to the release.

“We are so pleased with The EOS Estate Winery’s leadership in the area of solar power,” Paso Robles Mayor Frank Mecham said in a statement.

Tablas Creek Vineyard, Castoro Cellars, Clautiere Vineyard, L’Aventure and J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines are among the larger wineries in the Paso Robles Wine Country to undertake solar projects.

According to EOS, the state’s tax rebates are vital in encouraging businesses to convert to solar power. Hopmayer expects that 112 percent of the winery’s needs will be powered by solar power. The system has already measured a savings in excess of 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide and will eventually pay for itself, he said.

“With California’s tax rebates and available federal tax breaks, businesses like EOS Estate Winery can recoup the initial investments more quickly,” Mark Mosher, acting executive director for Gov. Schwarzenegger’s California Commission for Jobs and Economic Growth, said in a statement. “We commend EOS Estate Winery for making an important investment in the future of our state.”

In addition, the winery is wrapping up renovations in its facilities that haven’t been updated in excess of two decades. They include a new, state-of-the-art laboratory, push button plasma television, wireless Internet access throughout the building, interactive tour technology, handicapped access, an all-new bottling room, conference room with a community wine spitting mechanism running through the middle of the table and updated office spaces. The winery’s tank and below grade, 14,000-barrel storage rooms were also upgraded along the way. A micro lab clean room was also installed.

“It’ a very smart building, and it’s a green building,” Hopmayer said.

Among other things, the winery’s laboratory boasts a $150,000 Foss machine, one of only a handful in the state, which takes wine samples and calculates everything from acidity to ethanol, saving valuable employee time that would otherwise last hours for the same work, he said.