Solar PV boost for Oban

Scottish Water Horizons’ latest solar installation is helping to protect the coastal community of Oban from the effects of climate change.

The installation of 556 roof-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) panels at Tullich Water Treatment Works (WTW) on the outskirts of the town is now complete.

This means the energy intensive WTW will now save 43 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent each year – that’s enough to charge around 5.23 million smartphones!

The latest £300,000 investment by Scottish Water Horizons adds to the green energy that Scottish Water already harnesses at Oban’s waste water treatment works where solar panels were installed in 2018.

Almost half of the electricity required to operate the facility will be offset, with the total PV array generating 0.19GWh of energy each year – the equivalent of powering 65 homes a year.

Accelerating pace and scale

Donald MacBrayne, Business Development and Delivery Manager at Scottish Water Horizons said: “We are accelerating the pace and increasing the scale of our green schemes to help meet our ambitious net zero targets.

“We’re committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2040, with an interim target to host or self-generate three times our annual electricity consumption by 2030.

“As we’re always looking for new opportunities to help achieve those targets, it made perfect sense to replicate the scheme we had already installed at our waste water treatment works.

“Projects like this one at Tullich Water Treatment Works are a key component to our net zero journey.

“We also have plans to develop a hydro energy scheme in the town.”

Solar PV supporting the local economy

This latest project also helped support the local economy and provided much needed employment opportunities in the area.

Donald added: “Delivering carbon projects with local companies while developing the skills of the future workforce is all part of Scottish Water helping to support sustainable rural communities.”

The project was delivered by Oban Electrical Services (OES), part of the FES Group. Angus MacPherson of OES said he welcomed opportunities such as the Tullich project.

He said: “It brings companies like us local work and helps to sustain employment in the area.

“It is essential that we deliver more renewable energy projects to help achieve Scotland’s net zero targets.

“We’re really impressed with the role Scottish Water Horizons plays in actively driving decarbonisation through renewable energy technologies and we are proud to have delivered for them.”

Angus added that having the right skills available locally is critical to the delivery of successful schemes in rural communities. It gave OES the opportunity for their Modern Apprentice Jamie MacEwan, to join the team delivering the project.

Jamie said: “It was a brilliant experience working on the solar PV project at Tullich, as it really helped to further my hands-on training in the renewables sector. I’m looking forward to future opportunities like this with Scottish Water Horizons.”

Several solar projects are currently under construction across Scottish Water’s property portfolio, all helping the organisation’s net zero journey and supporting a flourishing Scotland.