SUNSHINE is an essential ingredient in the wine-making process – and it is proving doubly useful at an Island vineyard.
Four solar panels, producing around 2,550 kWh a year, have been installed by Jersey Electricity at La Mare Wine Estate.
As well as generating electricity for the St Mary attraction, JE said that the ground-mounted installation would support eco-tourism.
The array is to form part of La Mare’s walking tour to allow visitors to see the technology first-hand.
Meanwhile, the site features a wildflower meadow around the panels to encourage wildlife and pollinators.
Tim Crowley, managing director of La Mare Wine Estate, said: “For the past two decades, La Mare has been a leader in green business practice so this new partnership is a very natural one for us and we are delighted to be working with such a passionate team who share the same values for a sustainable and greener Island for us all.”
JE chief operating officer Mark Preece called it an “exciting time in Jersey’s locally-generated renewable energy journey”.
He said: “We are excited that these four panels give us the opportunity to dispel myths around ground-mount solar – for example that no light passes through and farming and wildlife can’t flourish around the panels – and to show future potential partners what a ground-mount site could look like.”
The installation at La Mare Wine Estate is part of broader efforts to expand solar energy production in the Island. JE is also developing larger ground-mount solar projects in St Clement, St John and St Mary.
