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- Chris Boiling
- 2025-01-14
Napa Valley’s Del Dotto Winery has invested in solar technology that will reduce its electricity bill by 95% and save a projected $3m over the life of the panels.
Four Mechatron Solar dual-axis trackers – installed in vineyards at the Caves facility of the family-run winery – began generating energy in November. Six additional trackers are now planned for a nearby company vineyard.
Del Dotto, which owns two Italian-themed properties in the valley, typically consumed nearly 370MW of electricity per year, which ran up an annual PG&E bill worth $120,000. The Mechatron trackers are expected to present a three-year Return on Investment, notes Michael Fakukakis, founder and CEO of Mechatron Solar.
The new solar system was placed among 30-year-old vines, scheduled to be replaced with new stock. The footprint of the single concrete pillar of the M18KD Mechatron tracker is 10sq ft, minimising the impact on land use and allowing both grape and solar harvesting off the same plot of land. Much of the shading from the solar panels falls on a maintenance road between vine rows (above).
“We selected the Mechatron Solar tracker solution because of the minimal amount of landscape it takes up,” comments Mike Burgess, the CFO of Del Dotto. “Scientifically and mechanically, the dual axis is more efficient than the alternative fixed-tilt solar or single-axis solar mounting systems. Common sense tells you that the dual-axis follows the sun better than anything else.”
He adds: “I was very impressed when I saw the tracker move; it was quite the sight.”
In addition to the Mechatron solar array, Del Dotto is adding a LynxSystems microgrid that will facilitate software management of all its energy use across multiple locations.
The county of Napa limited the upper reach of the trackers at 15ft for aesthetic concerns for the famous stretch of wineries along St Helena Highway, clipping a few percentage points off the potential generation of the standard 30ft-high tracker at full operating height.
“Counties like Napa are very protective of their land and viewing rights. But there is a 2ft berm between Highway 29 and the trackers, providing ample visual cover from the highway,” Burgess notes.
One key to the adoption of the dual-axis technology from California-based Mechatron is the combination of federal tax credits, a kicker credit for a system manufactured in the United States, along with a possible rebate from Marin Clean Energy, the green energy electricity provider, adds Burgess. “On a net cash basis, the final cost of the project was 50% of the gross cost,” he says.
Ted Ronshausen, commercial director of Mechatron, points out: “We manufacture the M18KD at our Stockton factory in northern California and are proud to be able to say our trackers are Made in America, per 2022 US Treasury IRA Domestic Content Bonus Credit specifications.”
The M18KD tracker is said to generate 40% more energy than ground-mounted solar arrays and 20% more than single-axis arrays.
Each M18KD tracker supports 90 solar panels with 72-cut cells each, or 72 panels with 144-cut cells each, culminating in a yield of over 43kW on a single mast. With a ground coverage ratio of up to 50%, the M18KD solution requires only 4 acres per MW of array.
The gearless, hydraulic design offers 360 degrees of Azimuth rotation and 60 degrees of Zenith inclination. It is also highly weather-resistant, withstanding wind gusts of up to 115mph and snow loads of nearly 35 psf – although snow loads typically are shed using automated snow sensors and motion management software.
Using bifacial solar panels, the Mechatron Solar tracker has demonstrated an energy yield boost ranging from 13% in California to 23% in Nova Scotia (above). The dual-axis M18KD tracker captures more reflected light on the underside of the solar panels than lower fixed-mount and single-axis trackers; it also captures more light than smaller dual-axis trackers that have lower tables.
Mechatron Solar’s expanded manufacturing facility now has an annual production capacity of 200 MW of trackers
Largely a Cabernet Sauvignon house, Del Dotto Estate Winery & Caves was founded in 1988 by Dave Del Dotto whose name is rooted in winemaking with a heritage dating to 1150 in Venice. Dave continued the Del Dotto legacy when he bought the original Rutherford Estate where he began by planting new rootstock of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Sangiovese.
1993 marked Del Dotto’s first vintage. Since then, he has acquired 67 planted acres of vines in Napa Valley that feature iconic Napa AVAs, including Oakville, St Helena and Howell Mountain; Del Dotto also holds 41 acres in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA on the Sonoma Coast, which includes the prized Cinghiale Vineyard, renowned for producing world-class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Del Dotto Estate Winery & Caves is certified by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and while not certified, also practices organic farming.
The business is widely recognised for its trailblazing focus on selling its wine to consumers en primeur and for its customer experiences in the two Italian-inspired properties where they host small groups of visitors in their caves and sample directly from the wine barrels, while explaining how the many different types of barrels influence the taste.
Four Mechatron Solar dual-axis trackers – installed in vineyards at the Caves facility of the family-run winery – began generating energy in November. Six additional trackers are now planned for a nearby company vineyard.
Del Dotto, which owns two Italian-themed properties in the valley, typically consumed nearly 370MW of electricity per year, which ran up an annual PG&E bill worth $120,000. The Mechatron trackers are expected to present a three-year Return on Investment, notes Michael Fakukakis, founder and CEO of Mechatron Solar.
The new solar system was placed among 30-year-old vines, scheduled to be replaced with new stock. The footprint of the single concrete pillar of the M18KD Mechatron tracker is 10sq ft, minimising the impact on land use and allowing both grape and solar harvesting off the same plot of land. Much of the shading from the solar panels falls on a maintenance road between vine rows (above).
“We selected the Mechatron Solar tracker solution because of the minimal amount of landscape it takes up,” comments Mike Burgess, the CFO of Del Dotto. “Scientifically and mechanically, the dual axis is more efficient than the alternative fixed-tilt solar or single-axis solar mounting systems. Common sense tells you that the dual-axis follows the sun better than anything else.”
He adds: “I was very impressed when I saw the tracker move; it was quite the sight.”
In addition to the Mechatron solar array, Del Dotto is adding a LynxSystems microgrid that will facilitate software management of all its energy use across multiple locations.
Seeking the highest energy density
Dual-axis trackers are believed to present the highest energy density of all solar industry mounting designs, among which the Mechatron M18KD is the largest, supporting up to 90 panels. A power generation boost to the new Del Dotto system is the use of 550W bifacial solar panels, which provide a double-digit increase over standard monofacial panels of the same size and number.The county of Napa limited the upper reach of the trackers at 15ft for aesthetic concerns for the famous stretch of wineries along St Helena Highway, clipping a few percentage points off the potential generation of the standard 30ft-high tracker at full operating height.
“Counties like Napa are very protective of their land and viewing rights. But there is a 2ft berm between Highway 29 and the trackers, providing ample visual cover from the highway,” Burgess notes.
One key to the adoption of the dual-axis technology from California-based Mechatron is the combination of federal tax credits, a kicker credit for a system manufactured in the United States, along with a possible rebate from Marin Clean Energy, the green energy electricity provider, adds Burgess. “On a net cash basis, the final cost of the project was 50% of the gross cost,” he says.
Ted Ronshausen, commercial director of Mechatron, points out: “We manufacture the M18KD at our Stockton factory in northern California and are proud to be able to say our trackers are Made in America, per 2022 US Treasury IRA Domestic Content Bonus Credit specifications.”
About the M18KD Dual-Axis Tracker
As well as providing one of the highest energy yields in the solar industry, the Mechatron trackers are also extremely reliable, Fakukakis says. “Mechatron Solar trackers present the highest reliability in the industry with 99.6% up-time demonstrated across our installed fleet of 90MW of projects in Europe and North America over the past 15 years,” he points out.The M18KD tracker is said to generate 40% more energy than ground-mounted solar arrays and 20% more than single-axis arrays.
Each M18KD tracker supports 90 solar panels with 72-cut cells each, or 72 panels with 144-cut cells each, culminating in a yield of over 43kW on a single mast. With a ground coverage ratio of up to 50%, the M18KD solution requires only 4 acres per MW of array.
The gearless, hydraulic design offers 360 degrees of Azimuth rotation and 60 degrees of Zenith inclination. It is also highly weather-resistant, withstanding wind gusts of up to 115mph and snow loads of nearly 35 psf – although snow loads typically are shed using automated snow sensors and motion management software.
Using bifacial solar panels, the Mechatron Solar tracker has demonstrated an energy yield boost ranging from 13% in California to 23% in Nova Scotia (above). The dual-axis M18KD tracker captures more reflected light on the underside of the solar panels than lower fixed-mount and single-axis trackers; it also captures more light than smaller dual-axis trackers that have lower tables.
Mechatron Solar’s expanded manufacturing facility now has an annual production capacity of 200 MW of trackers
About Del Dotto
Del Dotto Estate Winery & Caves, based in Napa, California, celebrated 30 years of winemaking with its 2022 vintage release last year. Family owned and operated, Del Dotto transports visitors in the Napa Valley to Italy with two striking properties. The Del Dotto Estate in St Helena resembles a Venetian palace while Piazza Del Dotto in Napa looks like a Tuscan villa.Largely a Cabernet Sauvignon house, Del Dotto Estate Winery & Caves was founded in 1988 by Dave Del Dotto whose name is rooted in winemaking with a heritage dating to 1150 in Venice. Dave continued the Del Dotto legacy when he bought the original Rutherford Estate where he began by planting new rootstock of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Sangiovese.
1993 marked Del Dotto’s first vintage. Since then, he has acquired 67 planted acres of vines in Napa Valley that feature iconic Napa AVAs, including Oakville, St Helena and Howell Mountain; Del Dotto also holds 41 acres in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA on the Sonoma Coast, which includes the prized Cinghiale Vineyard, renowned for producing world-class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Del Dotto Estate Winery & Caves is certified by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance and while not certified, also practices organic farming.
The business is widely recognised for its trailblazing focus on selling its wine to consumers en primeur and for its customer experiences in the two Italian-inspired properties where they host small groups of visitors in their caves and sample directly from the wine barrels, while explaining how the many different types of barrels influence the taste.
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