July 3, 2008

San Rafael, CA, USA: Jarvis Winery Toasts Clean Energy With Real Goods Solar

The New PV System at Jarvis Winery

Jarvis Winery just joined the solar revolution with a new solar electric system that will generate approximately 155,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. Newly acquired Marin Solar, now fully integrated into Real Goods Solar, was selected to perform all facets of the project, including design, engineering and installation.

Jarvis Winery will be producing as much energy as it uses, and will have a net zero utility bill. It will take approximately seven years to pay for itself, after which all electricity will be free from the sun.

This system is warranted for 25 years, but industry experts say that solar panels will still produce power for 40 years or more. The 107 DC kW system is comprised of 520 SunPower SPR-205 panels, one Xantrex GT100 inverter, and balance of system components including disconnects and mounting hardware for a ground mount on the winery premises.

According to winery owners William and Leticia Jarvis, “This completes our latest shift to a green operation. Since the winery is completely underground and has a constant temperature of 62 degrees year round, it requires no power for air conditioning which is normally the greatest usage factor for a business. The next greatest usage factor is for lighting. Jarvis employs fluorescent lamps of the new lower energy type. From now on all of our electrical energy will be sunpowered.”

Real Goods Solar CEO and Founder, John Schaeffer, commented, “We’re gratified to solarize yet another winery, helping the Jarvis’ to lessen their carbon footprint and contribute to the energy solution while providing a return on investment of over 10%.”

Further details about: Real Goods Solar