A local power base

Hopetoun Farm Shop is locally sourcing 30% of its energy with 96 solar panels in a nearby field.
Hopetoun Farm Shop is locally sourcing 30% of its energy with 96 solar panels in a nearby field.

A West Lothian business is taking the ‘source local’ message to its logical conclusion. Hopetoun Farm Shop has installed a solar panel system which will generate more than 30% of its energy.
The 96 panels, installed by Edinburgh-based Green Power Technology, are located in a nearby field and will generate up to 2500 kWh of electricity. The panels are raised so the Hopetoun sheep (as sold in the shop) can continue to graze underneath.
Shop manager Elaine Shirley said: “Sustainability is very important to us and, by generating our own energy, we can pass on the savings we make.
“Why shouldn’t provenance extend to a farm shop’s energy supply?”

The panels are raised so that sheep can continue to graze underneath.
The panels are raised so that sheep can continue to graze underneath.