Scottish Water has announced the successful completion of a £516,000 project to install over 886 solar panels at a waste water treatment works in East Ayrshire, supporting their pledge to reach net zero emissions by 2040.

The site, located in Cumnock, has been fitted out with a combination of ground and roof-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, helping to lower the carbon footprint of waste water services in the surrounding areas.

This carbon reducing technology will offset around one third of the electricity required to operate the facility, with the new PV system generating 0.4GWh of energy annually – the equivalent to the amount of energy needed to boil around 267,000 kettles. The scheme will also save around 97 tonnes of CO2 equivalent tonnes per year.

Ben Anderson, Specialist Graduate for Scottish Water Horizons, said: "Last week saw the earth's hottest day on record.  Solar PV power is crucial in our fight against climate change and reducing our carbon footprint.

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"The renewable energy generated from our projects will significantly contribute to Scottish Water's efforts to become a greener organisation and achieve our net zero carbon emissions target by 2040 and beyond."

The project was delivered by Scotland-based FES Group. Mandeep Singh, an apprentice electrician working for the company and who picked up Scotland's Net Zero Apprentice of the Year title at the recent Scottish Apprenticeship Awards.

He said: "I am very proud of how this solar project turned out. There were a few challenges along the way which we managed to resolve and has been a great development experience for me.

"I think the work we are doing partnership with Scottish Water Horizons is fantastic. It's helping create clean energy which is being used on site locally and reducing operational emissions."

Mechelle Barbour, Scottish Water Operations Team Leader for East and South Ayrshire, said: "Implementing sustainable solutions like this solar PV scheme benefits both the environment and our customers.

"Planned biodiversity measures for the site will also help to protect local species and habitats. By reducing emissions at this treatment facility, we are contributing to a greener, more sustainable community."

The energy needed to provide essential water and waste water services makes Scottish Water the largest single user of electricity in the country. This latest investment by Scottish Water Horizons, sees the site join a growing list of water and waste water treatment works which are now either self-sufficient or partly sufficient in their power requirements.