MADISON, Ohio — The wine world appreciates what's old, whether it's the tradition of winemaking, or bottles that taste better after aging for a few years or decades.

What You Need To Know

  • Debonné Vineyards is set to become the first winery in Ohio's Grand River Valley to rely on solar power

  • The Solar Energy system will offset 144 tons of CO2 emissions in a full year

  • Owner Tony Debevc made the move to solar energy to be more environmentally friendly and cost-effective

One winery in Ohio's Grand River Valley is trying something new, harnessing the same power that fuels the growth of its grapes to power its vineyard.

"I started when I was 23 years old. I’m 77 now, so it’s been a little while, but we’ve always done some project every year to advance our business," Debonné Vineyards Owner Tony Debevc said. 

Even after 53 years, Debevc is still seeking out ways to imrpove his winery, the latest being the installation of a solar energy system.

“Supporting the environment, of course, is important to us," Debevc said. "Agriculture is important to us. Our soil is important to us, and our power is important to us to survive and keep our employees employed.” 

The Grand River Valley grows over half of Ohio's wine grapes, and Debonné Vineyards will soon become the first commercial winery in the region to rely on solar power. 

“That’s for all our major energy for pumps and refrigeration systems and so forth, bottling systems," Debevc said. "Then one of the arrays here provides our lighting with 110-volt power.” 

The move to solar energy will offset 144 tons of CO2 emissions in a full year, and it’s more cost effective, according to Debevc; he expects the system to pay for itself in the next decade due to reduced energy costs. 

“Three quarters of our power is going back to the power company, so we get credits for that and then when we use extra power, those credits are applied," Debevc said. "We’re hoping to save a quite a bit of money with the system.” 

Being environmentally sound is a major goal of all employees at the winery including marketing and business development director Loretta Todd who hopes solar-powered vineyards will become more common in Ohio. 

“I’m really glad that we’re able to capture that energy and use it to produce the wine," Todd said. "It’s a green move that I hope gets duplicated everywhere around here. You don’t think of Ohio as being very sunny but we’re full of sun here in summer and capturing all of that and using it to make wine.” 

In April, Debevc will cut the ribbon and flip the switch for the newly installed solar energy system at Debonné Vineyards.