CSR and Stem

Empowering communities with responsibly sourced energy

Perhaps unsurprisingly as renewables company, CSR is at the core of our entire business. At AES, our goal is to harness our solar expertise to help prevent climate change, along with some other specific measures we have taken internally, including:

Installation of photovoltaic modules and solar thermal collectors on our own facility to offset energy use
Decreased paper usage by 80%
Increased recycling of paper, plastic, and glass by 62%
Introduced a composting program, decreasing waste by a further 15%
Planned on-site company garden with vegetable patch – grown using our own compost!
A commitment to the creation of a circular business model in terms of manufacturing waste

All these small changes build towards our ultimate aim of decarbonising our energy supply to reverse climate change and create sustainable clean energy. However, this is not our only goal. At AES, our national and local communities are just as important to us as the environment.

Midnight March for Charity

A team of AES Solar staff walked the Moray Coast Trail overnight on Wednesday the 21st of June to raise funds for REAP Scotland. The Moray Coast Trail is a long-distance path 72 km long (44.9 miles) between Cullen and Forres. AES Solar raised £1,130 for the local environmental and sustainable development charity based in Keith, Moray. The charity looks forward to a world where everyone can afford to heat their homes, eat well and benefit from a healthy and sustainable environment.

Solar PV System Donated to Local Charity

AES Solar were honoured to play our part in helping a brilliant local charity in 2023. The Oxygen Works do incredible work for those living with long-term and complex health conditions. Since their energy contract renewal in February 2023, the charity has seen their energy bills triple. When a group of Highland businesses (including AES Solar) learned of the charity’s plight they banded together to provide and install the system at no cost to the charity.

A group photo for the PV system for charity The Oxygen Works.

Sporting Support

Here at AES Solar, we strive to support a range of initiatives in our local community. As a result of this, we sponsor two of the local football teams, perhaps unsurprising considering we have several members of staff who play for community teams. We also support the Forres and Nairn District Welfare Football Association and the AES Solar McIntosh Rosebowl. Associations like these help keep safe, well-funded spaces and facilities. Other sports teams we’ve lent our support to over the years include Kinloss Rugby Club’s Kestrels and Nairn Bowling Club.

Most recently, we sponsored Darnaway Curling Club for the upcoming season. As part of this sponsorship opportunity, we kitted out the club with new branded jumpers to make sure the team kept cosy and efficient on the rink.

Community Events

We love getting involved in activities in our local area. So, it made sense to host an interactive science tent at the biggest one-day event in Moray. The European Pipe Championships were until recently held in our hometown of Forres. The tent provided a free interactive opportunity for children of all ages to engage with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects) subjects.

As the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to in-person gathering and communal events, AES Solar were delighted to sponsor a fantastic charity event in the form of a virtual Burns Supper in 2021. The event helped raise a fantastic £2215 for the Moray Emergency Relief Fund a fund set up to help people facing financial hardship due to the pandemic, and we were delighted to offer our support.

Certificate and prize is awarded to winning pupil

Youth Development

AES Solar are big believers in fostering the local young talent in our area. We believe this will inspire individuals and increase future employment opportunities. AES Solar have seen multiple modern apprentices and graduate schemes progress into full-time team members. This provides young people and recent graduates the opportunity to build a career in renewables while promoting innovation in the company. We are also delighted to have supported two Graduate Apprenticeships here at AES Solar.

We contributed to ‘I Design Future’ in 2020, a Highland-wide competition across primary and secondary schools to engage young people with electric vehicles (EVs). Alongside solar-powered gadgets, we also offered to host a solar power science workshop in the winning schools as well as work experience or mentorship opportunities.

Lobbying

Matters such as the end of the Feed-in tariff (FiT) are vital to our business, customers and community. AES has managed to meet with local MPs as well as the Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth, to gain clarification on the end of FiT and what the future holds. With the replacement Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) yet to take off, as solar energy specialists it’s important we campaign for fair and sensible policies that protect the future of our industry and benefit both our customers but the environment too.

Helpline

In 2017, following a flood of scammers contacting solar users pressuring them into unnecessary and expensive upgrades and servicing, AES Solar established a free-phone helpline offering impartial advice and assistance, to support to those at risk.

Living Wage

AES Solar first became a Living Wage Employer in 2016 and has since welcomed the Living Wage increase year on year. We are proud to be an accredited Living Wage employer – rewarding a day’s work with pay that reflects real-world living costs. The benefits of a motivated and fairly paid workforce at AES Solar are evident every day in the quality of our work.