California wineries and PG&E have teamed up to reduce wine industry energy consumption. "Wineries and vineyards are increasingly recognizing comprehensive energy management as key to sustainability planning, greenhouse gas reductions, and competitive business practices," said Patsy Dugger, Senior Program Manager for PG&E's agriculture programs. "California's wine industry has shown stellar leadership in energy and the environment, and PG&E's Diamond sponsorship of the Unified Symposium is intended to showcase the results and share best practices with other wineries."

Since 2005, PG&E has partnered with the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, established by the California Association of Winegrape Growers and Wine Institute, to educate the industry on energy reduction and alternative energy options like solar and biodiesel.  The partnership has so far more than doubled wineries' annual participation in PG&E's energy efficiency programs and has had impressive energy reduction results.

"PG&E's program offerings include regional energy management workshops, on-site facility energy audits and agricultural pump tests, engineering and design assistance, calculation tools, benchmarking resources, and rebates and incentives to help pay for energy efficiency in retrofit and new construction projects," said Dugger. "PG&E also administers incentives for the California Solar Initiative. In 2008, our efforts are expanding to address water reduction, climate change mitigation and green building for wineries."