If there’s one thing Napa Valley’s got a lot of, aside from grapes, it’s SUN! And as you might suspect, a huge part of Etude’s sustainability story revolves around that big yellow ball at the center of our solar system.
We installed our first solar panels a little over 10 years ago. In the next few months, we’ll be switching on a newly expanded array that will let us meet a goal we’ve been working toward for decades. Etude will be 100% renewable, with 90% of that energy produced on our own property! That means everything we do at the winery and in the vineyards, from the crush pad to the LED lights in the breakroom to the electric forklifts and EV charging stations (coming soon) will be supplied by better-for-the-planet resources. Sometimes, we’ll even be able to share power back to the grid to support the local community.
Our winery is located in the lowlands of the Carneros AVA, right at the north end of San Pablo Bay. It’s foggy in the early morning, but before most people have had their second cup of coffee, it’s back to warm and sunny again. Pretty much every day. It’s easy to see why vines love Carneros, and why people do too. However, the same sunshine that feeds our solar arrays, our Pinot Noir, and our sunny dispositions also heats things up throughout the day. That’s why we’ve collaborated with energy-efficiency experts to find the balance between welcoming the light and keeping things cool, all while minimizing power use.
As part of our landscaping program, we’ve planted dozens of trees around the winery and the patio. They may just be saplings now, but within a few years, they’ll be providing a lot of shade for our building and our guests. Trees not only lower the temperature of buildings by filtering the sun, but by breathing. Transpiration, or the “exhaled” water released into the air during photosynthesis, can lower the temperature around a tree by as much as 10 degrees. All around our property, you’ll see a broad variety of trees, shrubs, and flowers doing their part for energy efficiency while helping keep our water usage low – they’re all selected for drought tolerance.
Along with being predictably foggy, Carneros is also pretty cool at night. To bring down the temperature of the winery using less AC, once the sun goes down, we draw in that night air and let it chill the walls and floors naturally. While we’re talking about chilling, allow us to take a slightly nerdy turn. Winemakers often say that their job is “a blend of art and science.” One little bit of science behind the scenes called a VFD, or Variable Frequency Drive, makes a big difference. Throughout a winery there are a ton of motors. On chillers, pumps, water systems, HVAC: They’re everywhere. VFDs monitor and control the motors they’re partnered with to make sure the machinery is always operating at the ideal speed for its job. Basically, they tweak for peak efficiency, 24/7.
The reason we took this short mechanical detour isn’t just because we love eco-friendly technology, but because over the years we’ve learned that the best way to support energy sustainability, whether you’re powering an entire winery or a 500-square-foot apartment, is to always look for opportunities to use less. And just ask a VFD, a little savings here and there can add up to a lot.
