Debonné Vineyards - Madison, Ohio

Pioneering Vintner is at it Again as First OHIO Winery with Solar + Battery Power

Fifty-some years ago, Tony Debevc, a 3rd-generation farmer by upbringing, conjured a vision of raising a high-value crop that had never been grown commercially in the Grand River Valley of Northeast Ohio – wine grapes.

Today Mr. Debevc presides over Debonné Vineyards – Madison, Ohio’s multiple-award-winning winery, vineyard and craft brewery.  His eminently successful pioneering effort led the way for the thirty-three other neighboring vineyards and wineries that followed and now make the Grand River Valley a renowned destination for wine lovers from near and far.  The region now grows well over half of Ohio’s wine grapes.

An innovator by nature, Mr. Debevc isn’t resting on his laurels.  In May of 2025, he cut the ribbon and served wine for Debonné Vineyards’ newly installed Solar Power and Energy Storage system – fittingly, the first such clean, renewable energy system at any of Ohio’s commercial wineries.

This 126-kilowatt, 280-solar-panel system, situated in the middle of a former soybean field and completed by Sun Lion Energy of Hudson, Ohio, will, by conservative estimates, pay for itself in reduced electricity costs by its fifth year of operation and will save the business more than $600,000 in electric bills over its lifetime of at least twenty-five years…and will likely generate even higher savings, as electricity rates escalate over time.

Battery backup: The system also includes more than 100 kilowatt-hours of energy storage capacity to provide power to essential equipment during electricity blackouts, which would otherwise be disastrous during and after grape harvest, when the juice for wine must be chilled around the clock to avoid spoiling. As a further year-round benefit, the six large batteries — charged up from sunlight during the day — supply electricity at night to all the equipment, replacing most of the night-time electricity formerly supplied by the utility, an extra savings in electricity costs, even when the sun isn’t shining.

Pollinator meadow: As a further environmental & financial bonus, the project established a meadow-like mixture of flowering perennials under, around and surrounding the five ground-mounted solar arrays. That provides ideal habitat for pollinating bees, butterflies and other insects, some whose populations are threatened.  Among those insects are pollinators of wine grapes. Once fully established, this perennial polyculture meadow will be self-sustaining, requiring no mowing, spraying or maintenance.

Environmental benefits: Debonné’s sun-powered electricity generation system is projected to offset 144 tons of CO2 emissions in a full year by replacing the electricity otherwise delivered from fossil-fuel-burning power plants. According to EPA estimates, that is equivalent to taking 30 cars off the road.  Ohio ranks fourth nationally in CO2 emissions by its power sector.

“The environmental benefits of this solar power system are terrific, but first it had to make sense financially,” said Mr. Debevc. “It turned out that the bottom-line payback made investing in solar a no-brainer for our business, especially with the tax incentives that are available.”

“As we celebrate Debonné’s 53th Anniversary this year, I’m happy we’re bringing solar power to our operations,” said Mr. Debevc.  “It’s certain to help us financially as a business for many years to come, and it’s exciting to do something that makes a positive environmental impact at the same time.”