Wine makers Pernod Ricard Winemakers and Australian Vintage and have both made major commitments to renewable energy in the past week.
Pernod Ricard Winemakers, which owns a number of brands including Jacob's Creek, has announced it will be sourcing 100 per cent of its energy from renewable sources from all of its Australian sites by mid-next year thanks to a new 10-year virtual generation agreement (VGA) with wholesale electricity retailer Flow Power.
Australian Vintage, owner of brands such as McGuigan Wines, Tempus Two and Passion Pop, will also be sourcing energy from both solar and wind farms through a power purchase agreement (PPA) with corporate retailer Flow Power.
The deal will take the company’s facility in Buronga Hill, NSW to 90 per cent renewable, with 30 per cent coming from 1.65MW of ground and roof-mounted solar installed by Todae Solar.
Pernod Ricard Winemakers has also celebrated the official "switch-on" of 1MW of solar-generated electricity at its Barossa Valley Winery, marking the first completed stage of the company's massive 2.8MW solar installation project.
When completed in mid-2019, this will be the largest combined winery solar installation in Australia, the wine company says, and will supply 20 per cent of the business' annual electricity usage.
The remaining 80 per cent of the business' annual electricity requirement will be met by solar and wind for the next 10 years though its Flow Power VGA.
The company said its own solar project combined with the VGA will it to achieve its ambition to source 100 per cent renewable electricity well ahead of its original plans.
"We are doing everything within our means to draw upon renewable energy, both in terms of our own renewable electricity sources at our winery and our commitment to supporting the renewable energy industry,” Pernod Ricard Winemakers' legal and corporate affairs director Helen Strachan said.
"We are excited to be leaders in defining the future of sustainable business in a rapidly changing environment."
