Lowe Family Wine Co. and its hatted restaurant The Zin House have officially disconnected from the grid, thanks to a newly instated solar and battery system.
The Mudgee estate’s vineyard, winery, cellar door, and restaurant are now running on entirely renewable energy, which will see the business save an estimated $85,000 in annual electricity costs.
Owner and Winemaker David Lowe says he and his partner Kim Currie are constantly working to become more sustainable.
“Kim and I have a list of sustainability projects and goals that covers a whole wall, however this particular milestone was particularly big for us,” says Lowe. “The project has taken almost a year from inception, but the fact that we are now reliant only on the sun is a monumental win for our organic and biodynamic business.”
The transition is part of Lowe Wine’s ongoing sustainability initiatives. The Zin House, which last year celebrated a decade in operation, serves home-grown produce from its onsite gardens and operates with a no-waste structure. Under the leadership of Currie, the restaurant is guided by the principles of seasonal, local, and slow. Additionally, the vineyard is only one to be certified biodynamic and organic in Mudgee.
The system consists of 414 solar panels (265kW) and 1.2MWh of battery storage and can keep up with cold storage, refrigeration, and cooking demands of both the winemaking facilities and the restaurant. It will reduce annual emissions by about 255-325 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of removing 70 cars from the road annually.
SPS Solar + Water collaborated on the $850,000 project to create a proven blueprint for other businesses looking to do the same.
A financial structure from Smart East which reduced upfront costs made the project financially feasible. It has an expected payback period of seven years on an asset with a 25-year lifespan.
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