A Sussex vineyard has been praised for its efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
‘Meet the Generators’ features a series of short films from Good Energy’s network of 2,000 businesses and communities which supply it with power.
The latest case study is Albourne Estate, a family-owned vineyard and winery overlooking the South Downs near Brighton.
A total of 159 solar panels generate enough power for all the estate’s needs, with the surplus sold to Good Energy.
The new film is available to view on the Good Energy website.
Vineyard owner and winemaker Alison Nightingale said: “Sustainability is always important for us. We chose to invest in solar panels so that we could run our business off renewable energy as far as possible.
“We have panels across the roofs of the winery buildings which generate roughly 38,000 kilowatt hours a year, of which we export roughly two thirds and use the rest in our winery and visitor centre.
“We’ve been with Good Energy since the panels were installed, and it was very important to us that we were working with a partner which would also be able to supply us with 100 per cent renewable electricity when needed.
“It’s a great feeling to know we’re not only powering our own operations through sunshine, but we’re also generating a surplus which is contributing to the overall growth in green energy use by others.
“Everyone benefits – and we’re helping to protect the planet too.”
Good Energy chief executive Nigel Pocklington said: “We need to drastically reduce our reliance on fossil fuels so it’s more important than ever that we recognise the vital role of independent generators in making the world a cleaner, greener place.
“Albourne Estate deserve to be congratulated on their achievements.
“We are proud to be working with them, and we hope their story will encourage others to generate their own power and help to tackle the climate crisis.”
