Powering Powers

Powering Powers

 Powering Powers. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Powers Winery has just completed a major installation that will help the winery continue to be at the forefront of organic wine production. A new 2,200 square foot solar energy array on the roof of one of their main buildings is the largest of its kind at any winery in Washington State according to owner Bill Powers.

POWERS: That’s a little bit what we’re all about. We’ve been organic for 20 years now. We make some biodiesel, make compost tea and this is things we’d like to see more people do and somebodies got to step out front and do it. Three years ago we put a small solar, about 10% the size of this one on our tasting room. That’s worked out well and a lot os people showed a lot of interest.

Robin Pollard, Executive Director of the Washington Wine Commission says that it’s really the nature of the industry to be more earth-friendly.

POLLARD: It kind of goes back to the vision about who you want to be and what kind of a foot print you want to leave on the environment. And again we’re just by the nature of the industry conscious of that. We take care of Mother Nature, that follows through all the way to the production side.

The solar project was made possible through a REAP grant.

POWERS: We got a grant from the USDA for about 25% of the cost and there’s a 30% tax deal - federal tax and so it left it where it’s about a 4-year payback which is a real good business move as well as getting done what we wanted to do.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.

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