Hopetoun Farm Shop near South Queensferry has installed 96 solar panels in a nearby sheep field generating more than 30% of its annual energy usage. The solar panels are raised so that the animals can continue to graze underneath.
Elaine Shirley, Hopetoun Farm Shop manager, said: “Sustainability is very important to us and, by generating our own energy, we can pass on the savings we make.
“Our customers expect the majority of what’s on sale to be produced by the farm shop and the Estate, or at the very least come from a local producer. So why shouldn’t provenance extend to a Farm Shop’s energy supply?”
The Hopetoun Farm Shop prides itself on stocking quality local produce, much of it sourced from the nearby Hopetoun Estate, and now the family-owned business can add energy to its ‘locally produced’ list.
The 96 panels were installed by Edinburgh-based Green Power Technology and will generate up to 2,500 kWh of electricity per year.
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