Vineyard installs solar in its quest to become a fully sustainable business

Established in 1969 and one of the pioneers of commercial winemaking in the Bendigo Region, Balgownie Estate believes a healthy environment will enable it to grow the best fruit and make the best wine possible, in a sustainable manner.

Five years ago, Balgownie’s owners, management and staff adopted the goal of becoming a fully sustainable business. To date, it has substantially reduced its carbon footprint through the creation of composting systems, sowing organic cover crops to reduce chemical sprays, installing more efficient irrigation, hand tending of vines and other measures. A 25% reduction in energy use was achieved through the installation of LED lighting, insulating storage tanks, modernising the A/C plant and general staff awareness.

In July 2013, EnviroGroup installed a 90 kW Yingli solar system to help control energy production, reduce electricity bills and to further reduce carbon emissions (by approx 50%) with a view to ultimately becoming carbon neutral.

As the largest installation by a privately owned business in the City of Bendigo, the federal government gave Balgownie Estate a grant of $92,000 (34% of the total cost) for the ground-mounted solar panel system.

The key benefits of the system are an approximated 50% reduction in electricity bills - potential to produce 128,000 kWh of power per year; and the CO₂ reduction is equivalent to taking 40 cars off the road. The solar system is also a visible sign to customers, partners and staff of Balgownie Estate’s commitment to its goal of becoming a fully sustainable business.

“As the current custodians of this land, we believe it is our responsibility to care for it and conduct our business in a way that is both sustainable and beneficial to the environment around us,” said Balgownie Estate Director Des Forrester. “Our aim is to become carbon neutral by 2016 - EnviroGroup’s installation of the Yingli solar system is a vital step in achieving this goal. We are looking forward to seeing our electricity bills and carbon emissions dropping drastically.”