Homepage Wingara Wine Group newsroom

Largest solar unit in South Eastern region installed at Katnook Estate

Announcement posted by Wingara Wine Group 10 Feb 2014

supported by the Government’s Clean Technology Investment Program.

The largest solar photovoltaic (PV) unit in the south east of South Australia has just been installed and commissioned at Katnook Estate Winery in Coonawarra.  This was the major cornerstone of a project supported dollar for dollar by the Commonwealth Government’s Clean Technology Investment Program.

Generating 90 kilowatts, the solar PV system is capable of supplying the winery’s power needs most of the year, with supplementary power needed only during the peak harvest period.   As part of the $440 000 investment, Katnook Estate also:

-          insulated every wine tank, reducing the need for refrigeration and heating;

-          installed a power factor correction unit and

-          set up a state of the art refrigeration system with an innovative  Heat Capture function.  This utilises the heat generated by the refrigeration process to heat water for the winery. 

The above initiatives are expected to reduce Katnook Estate’s carbon emissions by 94% and result in savings of around $48,000 in energy costs per year.

Independent of the grant and as part of its ongoing commitment to reducing environmental impact, Katnook Estate invested further by installing:

-          a 10kW solar PV system to supply all power needs for the property’s historic limestone Cellar Door and functions areas.   It is appropriate that these 120 year old buildings, hewn from local limestone, are now powered  by the sun;

-          a cool air harvester, transferring the cool night air to the Katnook barrel room – again minimising the refrigeration load.  The energy used to transfer the cool air in is the fraction of the energy required to air condition the barrel room.

Katnook’s Senior Winemaker, Wayne Stehbens was instrumental in designing and overseeing the project and says, “This is an integral part of our commitment to constant improvement in all facets of our business. Working with innovative, efficient technology gives us great confidence that Katnook will not only improve wine quality but reduce the impact of production on our stunning local environment.  Cost savings are really just the icing on the cake.”