The rising sun glints off an array of solar panels on the roof of Stewart Brewing in Midlothian, as part of a £300,000 investment to reduce its emissions to net zero.

The family owned brewery has announced two projects which will see solar panels installed on roofs and walls and a carbon capture initiative to harvest CO2.

Brewery co-founder and MD Steve Stewart said: "One of our founding principles was to brew great beer in a sustainable and efficient manner and this remains at the heart of our business today, and these two projects will contribute significantly to that.

"The best part is that the electricity required to drive the Dallum CO2 capture machines is produced by the solar panels.

"Our carbon capture will prevent 250 tonnes of CO2 over a three-year period being released to the environment, meaning also that we will become self-sufficient and avoid the need to have liquid CO2 made elsewhere and transported to the brewery.

"Because of the long daylight hours during the summer, Scotland has exceptional solar potential for businesses like ours, and we expect that our panels will deliver more than 165,000 kWh per year which is around 65-70 per cent of our total electricity requirement. That’s power to produce nearly two million pints of beer.

"We are grateful for the help of Scottish Enterprise and Business Energy Scotland to assist in funding these projects."