Vrede en Lust wine estate installs 1,500 square meter solar infrastructure

Vrede en Lust, a wine estate founded in 1694, is one of the first farms in South Africa to invest in solar power. Due to inconsistencies in rolling blackouts the estate has decided to move away from Eskom as well as the increasing costs of electricity. They are now also moving forward with plans on upgrading their infrastructure in the coming years.

Picture: Screenshot

The wine farm is situated between Stellenbosch, Franschoek, and Paarl. In 2012 their electricity costs became their second largest expense. Dana Buys, the estate owner said, ‘The cost of electricity was growing far faster than inflation and it was also clear that climate change was becoming a critical problem. We did the research and by investing in a significant solar power installation, we could tackle both issues at the same time; reduce our carbon footprint and get control over our escalating energy costs.’ This is the reason why they invested in 1000 solar panels, three big inverters, and the necessary frames and cables that year. ‘The project turned cash flow positive after four years,’ reports BusinessTech.

The next phase in their plan will happen in the next 10 years, which will involve replacing the panels and upgrading their inverters.

Picture: Getaway gallery

BusinessTech reports that solar power works well on the wine estate as ‘both the generating of electricity and the operations on the farm are at their peak in summer.’ Since the installation 10 years ago, Vrede and Lust have ‘prevented tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.’

You can find the solar panels below the Simonsberg in Simondium, stretching over 350 m with a 1500 square meter surface area. The rest of the panels are on the cellar roof.

Several other farms in the area are also beginning to invest in solar power in order to save on energy costs and reduce their own carbon footprint.

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