Solar Energy

In order to realise our long term dream of being a completely green, carbon neutral company, we are in the process of installing a 14kW solar system, with 240 Kaneka 60W Thin Film Panels, providing more than enough energy for the brewery, houseboats, homestead and cottage. This will add to the existing 2kW, 32 panel solar system currently installed and providing day to day electricity requirements for Wilkadene.

Once installed, our total energy input will be about 96kWh/day Peak, providing an estimated annual generation average of around 26MWh/yr.

This equates to  a 25 Year Greenhouse Gas Abatement of more than 700 Tonnes (source; http://www.greenhouse.gov.au {SA, VIC, WA, QLD, and NSW}) and, an estimated water saving over 25 years of more than 90,000,000 litres, (source is www.ec.gc.ca/water/en/info/pubs/fs/e_fsa4.htm).

This solar input, as well as our water and general waste saving initiatives in the brewery, compliment our water saving ideals around the home. Currently all grey water produced by Wilkadene Homestead is used to water the garden, while thanks to our new Biocycle treatment plant, 95% of black water is now used for the same process. All waste water from Wilkadene Cottage is used in adjacent paddocks to provide native trees with desperately need water during our long hot summer months.