Owen Valley Winery, nestled in the quiet countryside south of Spencer, is now the first winery in the Midwest to run on the sun. The winery will celebrate the installation of its new solar energy system this Saturday, Oct. 5, with a ribbon cutting, live music, food and — you guessed it — wine.
The winery received a grant from the US Dept of Agriculture’s Renewable Energy for America Program (REAP) this summer to support the installation of a 34 panel solar photovoltaic (PV) system capable of offsetting over 65 percent of the winery’s annual electric load. The system will offset 1.74 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions for every kilowatt hour (KwH) it produces, providing long-term environmental benefits for the winery and the planet. That equates to a potential offset of 600,000 pounds of greenhouse gases over the 30-year service life of the system. In addition, a tracking feature on the winery’s website provides real-time energy production from the system, a great environmental and educational tool for the winery and the community.
In a state that ranked 7th in coal production in 2010 and ranked 3rd for the most CO2 per capita from 2000 to 2010, Hoosiers in Owen County can now take pride in knowing that one of its locally owned businesses has taken green strides to reduce its carbon footprint. (Visit the U.S. Energy Information Administration website for more Indiana coal energy statistics.)
Indiana’s solar energy output is gaining speed, however. Indiana’s cumulative solar output jumped from less than 500 kW in 2010 to 3,530 kW in 2012, according to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory database.
Owen Valley Winery opened to the public in 2010 after an extensive search for the perfect southern Indiana location to grow quality grapes and produce celebrated wines. The owners — Bonnie, Jo Anna, Preston, and Anthony Leaderbrand — formed Owen Valley Winery in 2006. The winery also has a tasting room at Tivoli Theater, 28 N. Washington St., in Spencer.
The winery partnered with Bloomington-based Mann Plumbing Inc.- MPI Solar to design the grant-funded solar PV system. Mann began as a plumbing company in 1992 and added solar design and installation of solar and thermal systems in 2008. The company has installed solar energy systems at the Monroe County Government building, solar water heater systems at Bloomingfoods, the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility, and Henryville High School (a Hoosier Energy Partnership). Besides solar energy, Mann Plumbing — one of a small national group of Certified Solar Thermal Installers with the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners — also specializes in other eco-friendly home and business solutions such as tankless water heaters, radiant heat floor systems, and energy efficient heat pump water heaters.
