Forres company AES Solar wins Queen’s Award

A Moray business which emerged in the 1970s out of the Findhorn Foundation eco-village has been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

While the North of Scotland may seem an unlikely home for a solar panel company, AES Solar is in fact the oldest in Western Europe.

Now with a turnover of £3.1million, rising concerns about both climate change and energy bills have seen its workforce increase from 22 to 32 during the past 12 months alone.

AES Solar has installed solar panels on buildings as diverse as Balmoral Castle, the Scottish Parliament and an off-grid eco dwelling which won Grand Designs' house of the year award in 2018.

George Goudsmit, the company's managing director, said: "We are over the moon to have this recognition of our work and our wider contribution to sustainability and tackling climate change.

"I want to thank everybody in the business – we have been in this together and we all care passionately about what we do and how we can do it in as sustainable a way as possible.

"So this award is very much for the whole team. We hope our success might encourage others to consider their own journey to Net Zero."

Both Moray's MP and MSP welcomed the award.
Douglas Ross said: "AES Solar are a remarkable Moray company providing great career opportunities for local people and flying the flag for solar energy in particular, and sustainable development in general.

"I was very happy to support their application and I’m delighted they have won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development."

Richard Lochhead said: "It’s great to see a local company doing so well, particularly one which has been part of the Moray economy for so long.

"AES Solar were committed to sustainable development years before most of us were even aware of climate changes issues, so this is really well deserved.

"Well done to all the team at AES Solar."