Powered by the Sun: The Solar Panels Story

In 2025, the High Backs won a competition run by Scottish solar energy company Boxergy - and came away with a fully installed 10-panel solar system, complete with inverter and battery storage, free of charge. It was the first time the site had ever had access to electricity.

Boxergy’s competition was open to Scottish charities and decided by public vote. The Burnhill community voted in their hundreds, and the High Backs won.

For Lizzy McDonald, who founded the High Backs, the green energy aspect of this matters as much as the practical benefits. The High Backs is a growing space - a place rooted in the natural world - and being powered by the sun feels right for what it is. 

“Honestly, winning that solar setup from Boxergy has been pure magic for The Highbacks! We can keep the lights on longer on those dark nights when folk really need the groups - no more stressing about the batteries running out. It’s opened up so much for us… cooking lessons, training sessions, just proper cosy evenings together. I used to only hear about how great solar was - never thought we’d actually get it, never mind win a whole system! Big shout‑out to everyone who backed us - we smashed it!”

Lizzy McDonald

The installation was completed in May 2025 by Boxergy, in partnership with battery storage supplier AlphaESS UK. With lighting now available into the evening, the space can stay open later. Heating makes the timber cabin usable through the colder months. Equipment for workshops, cookery sessions, and activities can now be powered reliably throughout the year.

For the High Backs, this is about more than convenience. Solar power means the site runs on clean, renewable energy - something that sits well with everything this growing space stands for. 

The community voted, Boxergy delivered, and the High Backs has been running on clean energy ever since.

Find out more about what's happening at the High Backs on our What's On page.