A Scottish Water drinking water tank in West Dunbartonshire has become significantly greener thanks to the installation of 548 solar panels.

Located at a distribution service reservoir in Old Kilpatrick, the £485,000 scheme is expected to meet nearly half of the site's energy needs with renewable power.

The solar panels, installed on top of the water tank, are projected to generate 0.26GWh of green energy per year – equivalent to the energy required to boil approximately 1.2 million kettles. This is expected to result in a significant reduction in carbon emissions, saving an estimated 48 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually.


The project was led by Scottish Water Horizons, the publicly owned utility's commercial subsidiary, and delivered by renewable energy specialists Emtec Energy.

Scottish Water Horizons Project Manager Keliann Arthur said: "We are delighted to have completed work on this project in Old Kilpatrick, kicking off 2025 on a positive note – the scheme will see 46 per cent of the energy needs at the site, which is key in distributing clean water to residents in the area, met by renewable power from the solar panels.

"We are looking forward to helping deliver many more renewable energy projects including solar and hydro schemes in the coming year."

Scottish Water Operations Team Leader Iain MacSwan added: "Many residents across West Dunbartonshire will be supplied with water via this service reservoir and it is fantastic that almost half of the power needed to run the site will now be generated by these solar panels.

"The scheme really makes the most of the space available at the site and helps take us that bit further towards our 2040 net zero goals."