Scottish Water has successfully completed the installation of a £852,000 solar scheme at a site in Perth.

The scheme has seen 1,236 ground mounted PV (photovoltaic) panels installed on the site at Gowan's Terrace which hosts a Scottish Water office and water treatment works. It is set to generate 0.53GWh of green energy per year - the same amount needed to boil 371,000 kettles.

The renewable energy generated by the solar panels will meet 14.5 per cent of the site's power usage including the office building, saving 96 tonnes of carbon annually and supporting Scottish Water's drive to reach net zero emissions by 2040.

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The project has been led by Scottish Water Horizons, the public utility's commercial subsidiary, and delivered by renewable energy specialists Emtec Energy.

Scottish Water Horizons Project Manager Keliann Arthur said: "We are delighted this project is now complete in Perth and it joins a growing number of solar power schemes based at Scottish Water assets around the country.

"The climate crisis is significantly increasing the frequency of extreme weather events across the UK, which serves to highlight the need for immediate action to reduce emissions. We are ramping up the pace and scale of our solar power programme as a necessary response to this and remain focused on reaching our ambitious net zero targets."

Scottish Water Operations Team Leader Ryan Hassan added: "The water treatment works at Gowan's Terrace is responsible for providing water to our customers across the city and runs 24 hours a day to ensure we can provide that service round the clock. It is a huge user of electricity and this scheme is a great way to offset some of that usage, as well as the power used in the office building.

"It is good to see the positive impact these projects are having on our energy efficiency and environmental footprint across all our assets."