J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines unveils its new solar project

J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines unveiled its new, state-of-the-art solar project described as the largest solar tracking array of any North American winery on Wednesday in Paso Robles.

Situated on three acres formerly occupied by Merlot vines, the state-of-the-art, 756-kilowatt, single-axis tracking solar photovoltaic system has 4,320 modules installed on ground-mounted arrays designed to track the sun from east to west throughout the day, significantly increasing energy output, officials said.

“What’s really important is what we’re doing for the environment at J. Lohr,” said Steve Lohr, president of planning and development. “We want to do everything we can to protect the climate that produces our grapes.”

The new system is proof that the Paso Robles Wine Country’s warm, sunny days numbering close to 300 can do much more than produce world class Bordeaux and Rhône wines.

In fact, the solar project is expected to offset 75 percent of the winery’s energy usage at J. Lohr’s Paso Robles operations, and in the first year alone could save the winery more than $200,000. According to Conergy, who designed and built the system, the solar array will reduce carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to planting 512 acres of trees, not driving 96 million miles or, in technical terms, by 29,887 tons over 25 years. The solar panels are equal to the size of three football fields in area, officials said.