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A new type of crime wave is hitting the Napa Valley. And it hurts the burgeoning new solar power generation by Napa wineries. Thieves are stealing solar panels put up by wineries to generate power for their operations.
More than 100 wine lovers gathered in the Napa Valley town of Yountville on June 20 to mark the summer solstice with the 2nd annual Solarbration, a party dedicated to wineries employing solar energy. Winery staffers from solar-powered cellars such as Honig, Larkmead, Long Meadow Ranch, Saintsbury and Silverado poured tastes of their wines and explained their solar systems to guests. The evening highlighted a continuing trend among wineries, particularly in Napa Valley, of adding solar energy to their green bag of tricks. With roughly 80 percent of installation costs now being covered by federal and state funding, more and more wineries are jumping on the bandwagon.
But less than 10 miles away, another winery’s solar energy equipment was being targeted by thieves. Last Thursday night, someone stole 40 solar panels from Harris Ranch Napa Valley, a winery nestled in the Mayacamas mountains about two miles from Highway 29. The 40 panels made up about a third of the winery’s installation.
This was not the first theft of panels from a Napa winery. Both Honig Vineyard and Winery and ZD Wines have been hit by thieves not once but twice in recent months.
