Ferngrove shines with solar-powered winery

Ferngrove Wines has become a shining example of sustainable winemaking after installing one of Australia’s largest winery solar power systems.

The Frankland River-based business has put the finishing touches to its $900,000 SunPowering Ferngrove project, the latest mark of its ongoing commitment to sustainability.

The 227 kW system, delivered by Great Southern Solar, will reliably produce an average of 341,000 kWh of power a year - enough to power 60 households with 100% renewable energy.

Ferngrove made the investment with the help of dollar-for-dollar funding from AusIndustry’s Clean Technology Food and Foundries program.

Ferngrove Managing Director Anthony Wilkes said, “We’re delighted to have the new system in place and to be a wine-industry pioneer in renewable energy use.

“Our mission to preserve, honour and express our pristine Frankland River location means that championing sustainability has always been part of the fabric at Ferngrove.

“This initiative makes our production processes even cleaner and friendlier, with immediate and long-lasting benefits for the environment.”

Ferngrove’s solar-power system consists of 696 high-efficiency SunPower 327 W panels, plus six 39 kW German-made Kaco inverters.

Great Southern Solar Manager Don Anderson said: “It’s been a privilege to work on this project for Ferngrove and to help them reduce their reliance on emission-intensive black coal. It’s a best-in-class case study for others to emulate.”

SunPowering Ferngrove is just the latest of a raft of sustainability initiatives at the winery, which uses only harvested rainfall where necessary to provide supplementary irrigation to its vines.

Ferngrove has also allowed the area’s native forests and bracken ferns to regenerate, improving natural biodiversity.