When it comes to championing the environment and farming for a sustainable future, few wine industry producers can hold a candle to Vrede en Lust.

The pioneering Franschhoek estate is celebrating an important milestone in its green evolution with 1 000 000 kWh of clean, renewable solar energy having been generated on the farm over the past nearly four years.V&L Boet Erasmus SSE 2012.

Installed in 2013, Vrede en Lust’s solar installation was the first and biggest of its kind in the South African wine industry. The impressive 211 kVA solar power generating system consists of almost 900 solar panels covering the cellar roof and an expansive stretch between the vineyards. It allows the farm to operate completely independent of the national grid in sunlight hours, supplying sufficient electricity for the running of the cellar, restaurant, offices, wine tasting and the whole hospitality division, including state-of-the-art new conference and accommodation facilities.