All Episodes

June 5, 2024 30 mins

Bob is a winemaker who is having a mid-life crisis. Trying to pull it together, he converts the oldest part of his vineyard into a solar farm, adopts a lost dog, and tries to make great wine. But nothing goes as planned, so he decides to take a psychedelic trip that takes him on a solar magical mystery tour that sparks joy in everyone—especially the dog.

True Solar Takeaways

  • Vineyards use a tremendous amount of energy for irrigation pumps, refrigeration, bottling operations, and resort energy costs. Consequently, many wine companies are now converting a part of their acreage to a solar farm that reduces the energy costs of the vineyard's operations.
  • 1 MW of solar can be installed on about 5 acres of land.
  • Solar trackers can be installed on a vineyard's rolling hillsides and use AI to precisely track the sun and generate the most energy throughout the year.
  • The acreage will always be cleared of vegetation, so a vine would not survive, even a hardy one. But this is a fairy tale, so please roll with it.
  • "Piles" are the posts that support the trackers.
  • While it's true that solar panels don't talk, inverters are like "solar energy translators." They convert the solar's direct current (DC) energy into alternating current (AC) that is used by homes and businesses in the U.S.
  • Here are some solar-powered vineyards. If you drink enough wine and use your imagination, you might taste a bit of the sun! Cheers.

-----

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.