Scottish Water has successfully completed a £1.4 million solar energy project near Edinburgh. The project, located at the Newbridge Waste Water Treatment Works, is expected to save 221 tonnes of carbon annually.

The scheme features 2,016 ground-mounted solar panels capable of generating over 1GWh of energy per year. Approximately 50% of this energy will be used on-site, powering a quarter of the treatment works' energy needs and contributing to Scottish Water's goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2040. The remaining energy will be exported to the national grid.

To enhance the local environment, significant biodiversity measures were implemented as part of the project. These included planting wetland and woodland meadow seed mixes to support pollinators and native wildlife. Additionally, bird and bat boxes were installed, and a badger access gate was created to protect wildlife on the site.

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Scottish Water Horizons, the company's commercial subsidiary, led the project, with renewable energy specialists Absolute Solar & Wind overseeing its delivery.

Alan Mearns, Project Manager at Scottish Water Horizons, expressed satisfaction with the project's completion. He emphasised the importance of reducing emissions in light of the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. Solar energy plays a crucial role in Scottish Water's journey towards net zero, and the company remains committed to achieving its ambitious targets.

He added: "In addition to the carbon savings, we've taken meaningful steps to enhance the local biodiversity through the planting of wildflower meadows and installing bird, bat, and badger habitats.

"We are witnessing a stark decline in nature around the world, including Scotland and we are clear that we need to maximise the opportunities to improve and protect biodiversity across our land wherever possible, building these measures into projects as a matter of course. Restoring biodiversity will be key part of tackling the climate crisis."

Tracy Byford, Veolia Contract and Stakeholder Manager, said: "The waste water industry is one of the largest consumers of energy and we are pleased to be working with Scottish Water to reduce our carbon footprint at Newbridge waste water treatment works. We are a net exporter of green energy at Seafield treatment works, and this is another step toward more sustainable practices throughout the water treatment industry and wider ecological transformation."

The Newbridge site joins a long list of PV schemes already up and running at many Scottish Water assets across Scotland which are now either self-sufficient or partly sufficient in generating their own power requirements.