A NATIONAL AWARD beckons for a Moray firm that has placed itself at the cutting edge of the solar energy industry.
Forres firm AES Solar, established in 1979, are been leading the way in solar panel development and installation – and under the leadership of George Goudsmit since 1989 they have evolved to encompass all aspects of solar.
Their installation at Craigdon Mountain Sports at the Pentland Outdoor Centre in Edinburgh has now placed them on the shortlist for the Sustainable Scotland Award in the Green Energy Awards to be revealed in December.
Now the company has also been shortlisted by the Moray Chamber of Commerce for their annuals awards as SME of the Year.
Mr Goudsmit said: “This is a very exciting time for AES Solar – we were delighted to enter Craigdon Mountain Sports for their fantastic new build at the Pentland Outdoor Centre.
“The project which we collaborated on with Solar Kingdom just goes to show that despite being under-represented in Scotland, solar can play a key role in meeting energy performance requirements in commercial new builds.
“It was a fantastic project to be involved with, it is a building that makes a statement and has been designed to maximise the use of solar PV. The building will use close to 100% of the self-generated electricity, demonstrating the potential for solar on commercial rooftops and the contribution it can make in reducing both running costs and carbon emissions.”
Speaking of the Moray Chamber of Commerce award nomination, George added: “We are delighted to be up for this award also. AES Solar operates out of our base in Forres and the fact that we are involved in a national award nomination and one at local level just goes to show how well the company is performing.”
AES Solar has been involved in several landmark projects including the first ever domestic Solar PV roof installation in the UK in 1995 – and more recently has carried out work on a project on the Royal Estate at Balmoral.
The company trades worldwide and has export customers in markets as diverse as Scandinavia, Africa and South America but does not rest on its laurels and is always looking at new ways to branch out.