Firth Flyer – From left: George Goudsmit and Campbell Maclennan from AES Solar with Bill Graham and the Firth Flyer from the T-Exchange which will be displayed in the Science Tent.
Piping At Forres is delighted to welcome the only Scottish solar panel manufacturer, based in Moray to this year’s event to entertain visitors with the power of the sun.
Forres-based firm AES Solar is operating an Interactive Science Tent at Piping At Forres and it is encouraging little and big kids alike to pay them a visit.
George Goudsmit, managing director of AES Solar explained: “Piping At Forres is a huge event for Moray and of course Forres where we are based, and as a local business it is really important for us to get involved and be part of it. We could have taken a stall but that’s not how we operate at AES. We want to create something fun and unique which will be enjoyed by all, but that will also provide information about how we can harness the use of the sun and what a powerful source of energy it is.”
Collaboration
AES Solar has created the free attraction by collaborating with a number of organisations.
Visitors can be expected to be wowed by the Firth Flyer, a solar plane which will be making its debut journey across the Moray Firth in the coming months and they can also become a remote pilot of the Mars Rover with the T-Exchange, a group which combines creative thinking, practical skills and new or old technology to make innovative objects and devices.
T-Exchange member Les Grosvenor will also be there with his experimental Model Railway “Plank” which will show how a simple model railway shuttle system can be powered by a solar panel, whilst the Falconer Museum of Forres will be there its Kinetic Bike.
There will also be STEM Ambassadors co-ordinated by Aberdeen Science Centre who will have plenty of interactive activities such as engineering challenges, and maths and science puzzles too.
Hands-on
George added: “This has taken a lot of planning and we want to ensure that there are plenty of hands-on activities. We are delighted with the response and we are very fortunate to have such a wide range of interactive experimental things for the visitors to Piping At Forres to do.”
AES Solar was established in 1979 to manufacture solar thermal panels and has been run by George Goudsmit since 1989.
AES Solar has been involved in a number of landmark projects such as the first ever domestic Solar PV roof installation in the UK in 1995, and more recently has carried out work on a project on the Royal Estate at Balmoral.
The company trades worldwide and has export customers in markets as diverse as Scandinavia, Africa and South America.
Recently, AES Solar launched a new service for custom-built solar panels which can be shaped to accommodate difficult roof areas whilst the frame can be manufactured in any colour.