UNSEASONABLY sunny weather has seen a solar farm that helps power a Scottish food business set new records for the time of year.
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 megawatt hours 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 it's own renewable energy.
Mac Mackie, Managing Director and one of three sibling owners, said: "It's nice to be able to talk positively about the weather in Scotland for a change! April really was out the ordinary and the solar farm's spike in energy production shows the extent of that.
"We also had a record in February and if June comes close to the summer of 2018 we could be looking at our best ever year for solar energy."
Built in 2015 by Loch Lomond based Absolute Solar and Wind, at the time of completion it was Scotland's largest and first solar farm.
Along with initiatives like the on-site production of a vast majority of its packaging, Mackie's is already a carbon positive company and aims to become 100% self-sufficient in renewable energy this year. A £4.5 million investment in eco-freezers powered with ammonia plant and biomass, is set to be one of Europe's greenest and most innovative refrigeration systems.
Despite being delayed as a result of the lockdown measures, the First Minister's announcement last week to enable the construction sector to make a cautious return to work means that building work has been able to begin again and it is anticipated the system should be operational by the end of the year.
Mac added: "The new freezer will make a tremendous difference to our energy requirements, the efficiency of the new system means that we should cut our energy use by up to 80%. It's an exciting development in other ways too - the new refrigeration system along new ice cream filling equipment will increase our production capacity and enable us to look at making new types of ice cream."
As well as the solar farm and wind turbines on the farm, Mackie's has a smaller array of solar panels fitted on the byre roof to power the milking systems and a further 400 kW of heating power for the office and farm houses comes from a biomass plant, ensuring a good mix of renewable power types.
The company's sky to scoop ethos sees it create everything from milk to its packaging on site. The fourth-generation family farm is based on the 1500 acre farm, Westertown, in Aberdeenshire. Mackie's still produces all its ice cream and chocolate on the farm, with fresh milk and cream ingredients from the farm's own dairy herd. The farm and ice cream production teams have been able to keep working during the Covid-19 crisis, implementing new distancing and hygiene procedures to supply ongoing demand from customers at home, which has increased in the recent sunny weather.
To find out more about Mackie's, please visit: https://www.mackies.co.uk
Issued on behalf of Mackie's of Scotland by www.holyroodpr.co.uk. Further information from Chris Fairbairn, on 0131 561 2244 or chris@holyroodpr.co.uk
About Green Energy at Mackie's of Scotland:
As Mackie's is a growing business, its energy requirements have also grown. Renewable energy is a cornerstone of Mackie's vision - to become the greenest company in Britain, with major investment in on-site renewables and a diverse energy production base that includes: four wind turbines, a bio-mass energy plant, a 10 acre solar farm.
In addition, it is currently in the process of creating a £4.5million low-carbon refrigeration system, set to be among the greenest in Europe. It will run on ammonia and will be powered by biomass through an absorbtion chiller. It is targeting ambitious CO2 savings of up to 80% and energy costs of 70-80%.
With just two similar systems across the UK, once it is operational later this year, it will be the first of its kind in Scotland.
Wind turbines
Mackie's first turbine was installed in 2005, with two more added in 2007 and a final, larger installation in 2015, making use of arguably Scotland's most abundant natural resource, wind.
Solar farm
Mackie's 7000 panel solar farm was built by Loch Lomond based Absolute Solar and Wind and on completion in 2016 became the largest solar farm in Scotland. Capable of producing 1.8MW, the ten acre site complements the four wind turbines (total 3MW), providing peak power in summer when wind levels tend to drop.
Biomass
In 2015 Mackie's installed two Froeling 200kW biomass boilers to replace oil fired heating boilers in the office and in staff housing. This burns locally sourced wood chip to produce heating and hot water to eight farm cottages and the main office and removes the need to burn heating oil.
1 (average figures from ofgem.gov.uk - average household use of 3,300 KwH a year )
