Solar Report Card 2020

We installed a 28kW solar panel system in October 2015.  The system was designed to generate 98% of our energy needs to operate the winery, tasting room and case storage facility.  It continues to exceed our expectations.  As the bar chart shows, we have generated more than 100% of the electricity we need in the past four years.  This includes the very rainy and cloudy 2018!

 That means Silver Thread is a mini power plant because we sell our excess generation back to the electric grid.  Here is how much we have generated vs. used as a percentage:

2016: 125%

2017: 127%

2018: 111%

2019: 118%

 Since installation in October 2015, we have eliminated 74 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which is the equivalent of planting 1,895 trees.  Another way to think of it–the CO2 elimination is like taking 5 cars off the road every year for each year we’ve had the system.

If you’re thinking of installing solar for your home or business, we can’t recommend it enough.  It’s been a great investment for us and makes us feel good about protecting the environment.