Sunpower Corporation (SPWRA)

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By: Erica Feldkamp, WeSeed Writer Groth, Heitz, and Opus One are some of the most beloved red wines coming out of Oakville, so why is everyone talking about its green wine? Two famed Oakville wineries are charging ahead with inventive new technology that could set an eco trend for grape growers everywhere. Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel, have installed the first ever floating solar power unit. Bouyed by pontoons, these solar cells produce enough energy to meet the needs of both wineries combined without compromising the prized vineyard land. These and other Napa Valley wineries are integrating solar technology more than 40 times faster than California businesses, which indicates a huge push in the next five years for the solar market. Although Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel are at the forefront of solar use, they won't be the last. Solar energy is an $11 billion industry and is expected to become a $167 billion market by 2015 as consumers and companies become increasingly eco-conscious. Wineries in San Luis Obispo County, part of the Central Coast wine region, will soon benefit from solar tech as well. Topaz, a 550 megawatt solar farm built by OptiSolar, will be able to power the equivalent of 190,000 homes. Construction will begin in 2010. On a larger scale, the state of California is committing $3.2 billion to paneling a million rooftops by 2018. With electricity demand ringing in at $1 trillion in the U.S. alone, solar-generated electricity and its benefactors seems to have an illimitable future. Check out what our Green Community is saying about these eco-companies: SunPower (SPWR), Solarfun Power Holdings (SOLF), and Applied Materials (AMAT). No doubt, this is the beginning of a revolution in the wine world where "green" wine will be as prominent as white and red. And as more wineries compete for an eco-friendly advantage, this type of tech is going to become a must-have.