Installed in 2013, Vrede en Lust's solar installation was the first and biggest of its kind in the South African wine industry. The impressive 211 kVA solar power generating system consists of almost 900 solar panels covering the cellar roof and an expansive stretch between the vineyards. It allows the farm to operate completely independent of the national grid in sunlight hours, supplying sufficient electricity for the running of the cellar, restaurant, offices, wine tasting and the whole hospitality division, including state-of-the-art new conference and accommodation facilities.
To put the 1 000 000 kWh (kilowatt-hours) mark into perspective, the amount of clean solar power generated can be roughly compared to the energy use of 74 households for one year, or 223 tons of waste recycled instead of landfilled. If you were to convert this energy to calories, it would be equivalent to consuming 134 877.2 bottles of wine! In monetary terms, the total amount of savings is estimated at about R2.5 m – a remarkable achievement considering the solar installation is only 38 months into its 25-year lifespan. Comparing cumulative solar and grid power, the farm has displaced 50% of its energy consumption.
Vrede en Lust recently introduced the unique Vinified by the Sun logo on its wine bottles to symbolise the farm's ongoing commitment to renewable energy. Their commitment to environmental sustainability extends much further though, and incorporates every part of business operations, from recycling to reducing the use of chemicals and cutting down on water wastage.
Green energy and savvy utilisation of our scarce natural resources is the way forward for agriculture to remain sustainable in South Africa, and for progressive producers like Vrede en Lust that has meant no half measures in the present.