A £636,000 project to install solar panels at the Gorbals water pumping station in South Ayrshire has been successfully completed.

The scheme aims to provide a renewable energy source for pumping water to thousands of customers in the region.

The project involved the installation of 793 solar panels, both roof and ground mounted, at the water pumping station and on the roof of the adjacent large drinking water tank. It is anticipated that the panels will generate 0.39GWh of energy annually, which is equivalent to boiling 1.7 million kettles and will meet almost 17% of the site’s power requirements.

Scottish Water Horizons Project Manager Pauline Donnelly highlighted the environmental benefits of the completed construction works: "We're very pleased that work is now complete on this project at Gorbals water pumping station and nearby drinking water tank, meaning the process of moving our clean fresh, water from Milngavie Water Treatment Works to customers' taps is now less carbon intensive."


She further emphasised the role of such projects in achieving sustainability targets: "In order to meet our 2040 net zero targets, renewables projects such as these are key to making the processes we rely on for our water and waste water services greener. In the past three years, Scottish Water has installed 14.4GWh of solar energy across its sites, in addition to 9.6GWh over the previous 12 years."

Local Scottish Water Operations Team Leader Gavin McBride also commented on the impact of the construction works: "Pumping water along our network involves high pressures and is an energy intensive process, so it makes a real difference that some of the power we are using to do that is now coming from renewable sources."

Mr McBride also noted an additional benefit of the scheme: "The scheme will also see some renewable energy being sold back to the national grid that can be accessed in the local area."

In addition to the construction of the solar energy infrastructure, the project will also incorporate biodiversity measures at the site. These include the removal of invasive non-native plant species, along with the planting of native hedgerows and wildflowers, contributing to the protection and enhancement of local habitats.