Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Forres-based managing director George Goudsmit wins lifetime achievement award

George Goudsmit with his lifetime achievement award at Storage & Solar Awards

A Moray-based managing director who is credited with persuading the Queen to install solar power in Balmoral Castle has received a lifetime achievement award.

George Goudsmit, of AES Solar, picked up the accolade at the Solar & Storage Awards held in Birmingham.

The major industry-led award recognises his 30 years plus of dedication to the UK solar energy sector.

The judging panel described Mr Goudsmit an early pioneer of the solar industry and said his infectious enthusiasm for the technology was also noted.

They added he personally convinced the Queen to install solar energy at Balmoral.

Experienced and well-known face

Mr Goudsmit took over AES Solar from founder Lyle Schnadt in 1989.

At the time it was primarily based in the Findhorn Foundation – an ecovillage in Moray before he moved it into the neighbouring town of Forres.

Over the past 30 years, Mr Goudsmit has held several roles in the UK solar industry.

He was appointed a board member of the formerly known Solar Trade Association, now Solar Energy UK, and remained on the board for 20 years.

He also played key roles in the founding of Scottish Solar Energy Group (SSEG), Scottish Renewables, Solar Cities Scotland, and SEDA Solar – the solar branch of the Scottish Ecological Design Association.

‘A true pioneer’ and devoted

Chris Hewett, Solar Energy UK chief executive, said “George is a true pioneer who has devoted much of his life to the promotion of solar energy.

“In many ways he, and his company AES Solar, embody the journey of the technology itself from niche product in 1990 to a cutting edge and fast growing industry in 2021.

“Who knows whether George will ever really retire, but it’s fitting for him to have this award on his shelf.”

AES Solar continues to grow

AES Solar, which celebrated its 40th year in 2019, has more than doubled in size, employing 12 people during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Goudsmit said: “I am so honoured to receive this lifetime achievement award.

“I always predicted great things for this industry. When I reflect on the past 30-plus years, there is so much to be proud of.

“The future of the UK solar and storage sector looks very bright to me!

“I look forward to everything else we accomplish in the years ahead and I will continue to make sure the energy revolution is a solar one.”