Renewable energy
Decarbonise the cellar’s electricity.
The most direct way to cut energy emissions (Scope 2) is to change where the electricity comes from. Solar panels for self-consumption and/or 100% certified renewable electricity contracts remove much of these emissions.
It is a high-impact and increasingly economical lever. Combined with efficiency, it transforms the cellar’s carbon profile, especially where refrigeration weighs heavily.
Effort
Medium — solar investment or contract switch.
Cost
An investment that usually pays back in energy savings.
Time to result
Immediate (contract) to medium term (solar).
Which emissions it cuts
Reduction potential by source — click through for detail and metrics.
How it works
Replacing fossil-sourced electricity with solar or certified renewable directly lowers the emission factor of every kWh consumed.
How to implement
- 1Assess solar self-consumption on the cellar/warehouse.
- 2Contract certified renewable electricity.
- 3Track % renewable and consumption per bottle.
- 4Reflect the change in the footprint calculation.
What to measure
Frequently asked
Does buying “green energy” count in the footprint?
Certified renewable electricity reduces Scope 2 emissions under market-based methods. Solar self-consumption reduces them under any method.
Is solar worth it for a cellar?
Harvest and the refrigeration peak coincide with sunny summer, which makes solar self-consumption particularly well suited to many cellars.
Related reading
Related levers
How GrapeFlow helps
Measure and document this lever by plot and per bottle, with the footprint always up to date.
Energy & fuels (invoices by OCR)
Electricity, diesel and other fuels captured from invoices, with consumption per kWh, per litre and per bottle.
Carbon footprint per bottle & season
GrapeFlow gathers energy, fuel, packaging and inputs and computes the footprint per bottle and per season — the basis of any report or low-carbon label.
Packaging materials & bottle weight
Weight and composition of each bottle and material by SKU — to quantify and cut the largest footprint source.