Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has announced that the “largest winery solar installation in Australia” is now operational.
The switch-on at the wine producer’s Barossa Winery and Production Centre in South Australia means “iconic” Australian wines including Penfolds, Wynns, Squealing Pig and Pepperjack are “on track” to meet the company’s target of being produced using 100% renewable electricity by the end of 2024.
Featuring almost 6000 solar panels at the Barossa site alone, the Australian systems are expected to generate more than 5500 megawatt-hours of electricity per year.
The system has been designed to maximise the capacity of Barossa’s regional renewable electricity infrastructure.
It complements other systems already online across TWE’s Australian sites, including Coldstream Hills in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, Penfolds in SA’s Magill, and Wynns in Coonawarra, SA – as well as a number of others across its global operations.
TWE Chief Supply & Sustainability Officer Kerrin Petty says the investment in transitioning to 100% renewable electricity is prompted by the urgency to decarbonise the company’s global operations.
“Installing solar panels is the most significant contribution we can make to move closer to our ambition of net zero direct emissions,” he says.
“Unveiling the solar system here in the Barossa complements the other systems that are already operational, or scheduled to be completed in the coming year, at our sites in Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, and the US.
“Our Napa Valley, California installation of 13,000 solar panels will make it the largest winery solar system in the US, generating half the electricity needs for each of our US wineries. It’s all part of TWE’s broader goal to make wine sustainably.”