Member of the Scottish Parliament and Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Alex Cole Hamilton, have visited the global spirits and wine manufacturer Brown-Forman’s Newbridge Bond in his Edinburgh Western constituency as a new solar array goes live.

In the first project between YLEM Energy and Brown-Forman, the producer of brands such as Jack Daniel’s and Benriach, a 620kW solar array was developed to deliver 502,117 KWp of clean energy each year at the Newbridge Bond, Edinburgh. This is a part of Brown-Forman’s objective to source 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

On 29th January, Mr Cole Hamilton visited the site to meet some of the team members and to hear from YLEM Energy and Brown-Forman on the benefits of onsite energy generation for energy-intensive businesses, such as bottling and storage facilities.

Commenting, Mr Cole Hamilton said: “I am delighted to see businesses taking initiative in advancing sustainability agendas and working towards tackling climate change directly by reducing their emissions. The boost for skilled employment and increased investment in the area has my full support and I look forward to hearing the progress that this partnership will bring.”

The 630kWp solar system is also part of YLEM Energy’s Xchange product that was launched in April 2023 and will allow Brown-Forman to export excess renewable energy generated at the Newbridge Bond to the National Grid and reduce its onsite energy costs. Brown-Forman are also exploring the potential to work with YLEM Energy to identify energy efficiency measures onsite to make its operations as sustainable as possible.

Kieran McGuire, European Environment Health and Safety Manager at Brown-Forman stated: “It is encouraging to have Mr Cole Hamilton visit our site in Newbridge as the solar array enters use to generate renewable electricity. At Brown-Forman, we are committed to our goal of sourcing 100 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and this solar installation is a great step towards meeting that goal.”

Sophie Lamb, Head of Solar at YLEM Energy said: “I was delighted to have the opportunity to relay first hand to Mr Cole Hamilton the benefits of onsite renewable energy generation, with the Newbridge Bond being a great example. I’m looking forward to being able to report back on the carbon reductions that our installation at Newbridge Bond will achieve.”