450 tank-top mounted solar panels have been installed at Roberton Water Treatment Works near Hawick.
Scottish Water revealed the scheme is helping to power water services in the Scottish Borders, helping to lower operational costs and supporting a drive to cut carbon emissions.
The £371,000 investment is tipped to generate around 0.21GWh of green electricity annually. Scottish Water said 65% of the energy generated will be used directly on site, meeting a quarter of the site’s total energy demands. The surplus is exported to the national grid.
The project has been led by Scottish Water Horizons, the commercial subsidiary of Scottish Water, and delivered by renewables specialists R&A Group.
Murdo MacAuley, Scottish Water Horizons project manager, said, “It is fantastic to see the completion of this solar scheme at Roberton Water Treatment Works, keeping up the momentum from previous years of rolling out renewable energy at Scottish Water sites across the country. By maximising the use of clean energy at these sites, we are protecting the environment, delivering cost savings, and supporting the resilience of our essential water services.”
Scottish Water operations team leader Mick Jones added, “In my operational area, in last 18 months alone, this is the third retrofit renewable energy project delivered on a water treatment asset, in addition to another solar project at Selkirk and a hydro project at Whiteadder reservoir. Together, these are predicted to deliver a combined cost reduction for my team of around £460,000 per annum.
“The projects will achieve those savings for at least the next 30 years and we expect the hydro investment to last significantly longer than that. The projects help us with our aspiration of having our water supplied at the lowest cost and lowest carbon impact possible.”
