July 5, 2023
Bob, the Dog, and the Solar Vineyard
Bob is a winemaker who is having a mid-life crisis. Trying to pull it together, he converts the oldest part of his vineyard into a solar farm, adopts a lost dog, and tries to make great wine. But nothing goes as planned, so he decides to take a psychedelic trip that takes him on a solar magical mystery tour that sparks joy in everyone—especially the dog.
True Solar Takeaways
- Vineyards use a tremendous amount of energy for irrigation pumps, refrigeration, bottling operations, and resort energy costs. Consequently, many wine companies are now converting a part of their acreage to a solar farm that reduces the energy costs of the vineyard's operations.
- 1 MW of solar can be installed on about 5 acres of land.
- Solar trackers can be installed on a vineyard's rolling hillsides and use AI to precisely track the sun and generate the most energy throughout the year.
- The acreage will always be cleared of vegetation, so a vine would not survive, even a hardy one. But this is a fairy tale, so please roll with it.
- "Piles" are the posts that support the trackers.
- While it's true that solar panels don't talk, inverters are like "solar energy translators." They convert the solar's direct current (DC) energy into alternating current (AC) that is used by homes and businesses in the U.S.
- Here are some solar-powered vineyards. If you drink enough wine and use your imagination, you might taste a bit of the sun! Cheers.
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Series Story: "The Solar Heist or How I Got into the Solar Business"
Probably True Solar Stories has a long solar "mini-series." Listen to the Solar Heist series here. Then explore the other shorter stand-alone stories below.