ry has set up 230kW solar PV generator and 200kW thermal preheaters as part of its overall sustainability project, titled 'Re-engineering our future for a carbon economy.'Both the generator and the thermal preheaters are the largest of their kind at any Australian winery and De Bortoli hopes the installations will achieve a 300 tonne reduction in carbon dioxide emissions per year.
The winery was given a $4.8 million grant from the federal government, and it has worked closely with Australian-owned solar hot water manufacturer, Apricus Australia, and Adelaide-based solar company, The Solar Project, to commission the array.
Both the Solar Project and Apricus were recently joint recipients of an Environment and Sustainability Award from the Wine Industry Suppliers Association as a result of the work at De Bortoli Wines.
The winery will continue to roll out further operational initiatives over the coming months, targeting waste reduction, eliminating sodium from production and improving efficiency whilst reducing the company’s carbon footprint.
