Bakersfield, California, -based grape-category leader Sun World International announced it is planning to install 921 kilowatts (kW) of solar-powered photovoltaic (PV) facilities at four new ranches in the Central Valley of California.
With this project, the company aims to have 10 per cent of its power generated by these on-site energy sources in an effort to reduce dependency on power generated from fossil fuels by 2022, it said.
Over the next 25 years, the company expects to generate 41m kWhs of solar energy and reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint by 34,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
Aside from renewable energy initiatives, Sun World’s other environmental initiatives focus on water conservation and soil and bee health, the firm said in a press release.
Water conservation efforts include the development of over 500 acres of groundwater retention ponds, and sourcing 75 per cent of its water from these basins in dry years.
In addition to improving energy and water efficiencies, Sun World is also supporting soil and bee health by planting cover crop and hedgerows on at least 50 per cent of its acreage.
These initiatives are part of Sun World’s larger sustainability programme, The Better Future Project.
“As an organisation, we understand the importance of implementing sustainable practices into our day-to-day operations,” Sun World CEO Merrill Dibble said. “Our initiatives will help achieve our vision for a better future.”
