Scottish solar farm basks in the spring sun to set new record

Unseasonably sunny weather has seen a solar farm that helps power a Scottish food business set new records for the time of year.

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Mackie's of Scotland's solar farm, based on its Aberdeenshire family farm, produced more green energy in April than in any month in 2019 – spiking by more than a quarter against the same month across any of the previous four years.

March was sunny and May followed with more heat to make the total production this spring the highest on record since installation in 2016.

In total across the three months, the 7000-panel system produced over 640 megawatts 46 | Farming Monthly | July 2020hours of electricity - enough to boil over 6.4 million kettles – or to power 193 houses for an entire year.1

The 10-acre 1.8MW site helps with power for Mackie's to produce its ice cream and chocolate and complements its four wind turbines (total 3MW). The mix is efficient because the solar panels are able to provide more power in the summer when wind levels tend to drop. This estate means that Mackie’s business is 80% powered by its own renewable energy.