Solar panels at a Forres bakery will provide enough power to bake half a million biscuits, it has been estimated.
Maclean’s Highland Bakery has recently had 192 solar panels fitted at its Greshop site, which will generate an estimated annual production of 65 kWh and save 12.61 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year – the estimated annual equivalent of 525K biscuits baked by the power of the sun.
They even had a new roof put on. Renewable energy specialists, AES Solar, also based in Forres, undertook the work and confectioner Amy McBean baked themed empire biscuits to celebrate the new installation which will generate electricity to power the bakery’s ovens.
Towards net zero
Maclean’s Highland Bakery has been working towards net zero for a number of years. The business initially started out with simple steps to save energy and reduce waste and has continued to introduce a number of sustainable measures in an effort to reduce its environmental impact.
Newly appointed Operations Director, Garry Maclean, said: “This installation is an important step in our Net Zero plan and a significant investment in our family business to help the next generation build for a more sustainable future. Not only will the solar panels significantly reduce our environmental impact, they will also enable us to cut our outgoings by generating onsite energy to power our ovens.
“Getting solar panels installed felt like a natural next step as we work towards achieving net zero in our business. Over the years we have explored a number of ways to be cleaner and greener, including the removal of plastics from our packaging. Working with AES on the solar installation and AJ Engineering on the construction of the new roof was important to us as a business that values working with local companies.”
Reducing overheads
Jamie Di Sotto, Director at AES Solar, said: “Maclean’s Highland Bakery is a great example when it comes to running a business in a more sustainable way and we’re delighted to play a part in their transition journey to net zero. With energy costs continuing to rise, solar remains one of the most effective ways of reducing the overheads associated with running commercial buildings.
“The north of Scotland in particular faces several grid limitations, impacting the ability for local businesses to decarbonise their operations and reduce energy costs. As a company, we warmly welcome SSEN’s recent decision to increase the upper limit for renewable connections in the north of Scotland from 50kW to 200kW, allowing more businesses in the area to connect to the grid quicker and without extra costs.”
