EDF Renewables and The Macallan Estate have been given the green light for a solar project to further decarbonise the home of the famous whisky.
Local partners have signed off on the 4MW renewables project which will help slash the emissions of The Macallan’s single malt Scotch whisky in Craigellachie.
The ground-mounted solar panels have the capability of providing half of the distillery’s daytime electricity needs, equating to around 30% of annual energy demand.
Rachel Walters, Operations Director at The Macallan commented: “The Macallan Estate has been our home for nearly 200 years, and we have always had an inherent respect for the natural world that surrounds us.
“The introduction of solar panels at The Macallan Estate is the latest initiative designed to help us build a more sustainable future, complementing the distillery’s current biomass set-up and will work in tandem with other projects to accelerate our net zero targets.”
Located in Speyside, The Macallan Estate sits amongst 485 acres of land and has been the home of the whisky brand for nearly 200 years.
This is the first commercial and industrial solar project of its kind that EDF Renewables UK has developed in Scotland and the planning applications for it involved a landscaping scheme to minimise the visual impact of the development and enhance existing wildlife habitats.
Deanna Greenhalgh, Director of Development within EDF Renewables UK’s commercial and industrial solar business, SAS Energy, said: “We are delighted to be working with The Macallan Estate to deliver this renewables project.
“The project will help decarbonise the Distillery’s operations, reduce energy costs in an ever more uncertain energy environment and lead the way in showing how the whisky industry can strive towards achieving net zero targets.
“It is an exciting project for EDF Renewables as one of our first commercial and industrial solar projects in Scotland.”
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