Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/60007
NORTHWE S T Soter Vineyards' cellars are built into a hillside to reduce the amount of energy required for cooling. Ecos also conducted an energy audit of Soter's operations. Its cellars are built into the hillside to reduce its energy demands. Cellarmaster Chris Fladwood doesn't see the same differential in energy use between white and red wine production as WVV reports. He notes that one of the innovative changes that Soter Vineyards made in the wake of its audit was modifying a variable-frequency drive on its pump to help it reduce power consumption by other equipment. A variable-frequency drive on its Ingersoll Rand air compressor senses how much pressure the pump needs to do its work, reducing energy use. A modification of a Yaskawa Varispeed P7 drive on the pump itself achieves similar results when hooked up to Soter's destemmer and other equipment. "We've made it so we can use that (variable) frequency drive on other machines," Fladwood says. Since the destemmer rarely runs at full capacity, the adjustment makes sense practically and financially. The purchase of the drive was helped by Oregon's Business Energy Tax Credit program and cash incentives from the Energy Trust of Oregon. "Whatever current we tell it to draw, it draws," Fladwood www.powerflexfence.com Premium Products at affordable prices... Inspired Design • Gripples & Torq Tool • Heavy Duty Tensioners • Hi-Tensile Wire (40 year life) • Knipex Tools (Lifetime Warranty) • Professional Wire Dispenser • Premium Crimp Tools & Sleeves Professionals Prefer PowerFlex 417-741-1230 • info@powerflexfence.com West Coast–New York–Texas Len Napolitano (805) 712-4471 len@thebarrelmill.com Four toast levels Economical Sustainable Time-saving Wines & Vines FeBRUARY 2012 43 Our spirals made from Premium, American or French Oak deliver 100% new barrel flavor (8 months) in as little as six weeks. Now you can boast authentic oak flavor using neutral barrels or tanks – with rapid, controllable and predictable results. says. "This was a small retrofit that has turned out to be very effective.…The amount of power they save is just phenomenal." Soter Vineyards also has addressed lighting, reducing the number of lights and replacing its former bulbs with high- efficiency compact fluorescent and LED (light-emitting diode) lighting. Sensors in select areas illuminate lights on an as-needed basis, further reducing costs. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in Paterson, Wash., undertook a similar program in 2009, replacing 40 400-watt high-bay fixtures with 200-watt T-12 bulbs. The move cut power use in half and contributed to lower operating temperatures within the winery, which in turn reduced the need to cool the facility. Both were expected to repay the initial investment in less than three years. The program was touted by the Bonneville Power Administration as an example of what wineries can do to save energy, in addition to reviewing the efficiency of their HVAC, crushing, de-stemming, pumping, cooling and fermenting systems. BPA points to the University of California's Benchmarking and Energy & Water Savings Tool for the Wine Industry among the tools available to growers and wineries. Patent # 7357069 www.InfusionSpiral.com (800) 201-7125