Solar energy boost for the
North East of Scotland

Following £1.9m investment, two solar schemes have been completed in the North East to support Scottish Water’s drive to net zero.

An existing solar scheme at Mannofield Water Treatment Works in Aberdeen has been extended with the installation of 2,690 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels making it Scottish Water’s largest renewables scheme in the region.

The carbon-reducing technology will offset 12% of the electricity need to operate the treatment works which supplies high-quality drinking water to 250,000 customers in the area.

The £1.7m extension, led by Scottish Water Horizons, pushes investment at the site to £2m in total, significantly increasing energy generating capacity at Mannofield by 1.097GWh per annum – the same amount of energy need to power almost 300 UK homes each year.

At Peterhead Waste Water Treatment Works a second solar extension has crossed the finish line, marking a further £205k investment. Over 270 roof-mounted PV panels are now helping to power the works which serve properties in the surrounding area.

Supporting the drive to lower emissions

Delivered by renewables contractors FES Group on behalf of Scottish Water Horizons, the schemes will save over 300 CO₂ equivalent tonnes of carbon each year.

Scottish Water Horizons Project Manager, Greig Adams, said: “The completion of our latest solar PV array at Mannofield is a significant milestone in our drive towards net zero.  Not only is it our biggest renewables project in the North, it is also our second-largest solar scheme Scotland-wide.

“Operating a water treatment works on the scale of Mannofield, which serves hundreds of thousands of customers, is energy intensive. By installing renewable technologies on our assets we can improve our energy resilience, and help Scottish Water drive down emissions.”

Scottish Water Operations Team Leader, Eric Ross, said: “The installation of these schemes is great news for our customers and supports our drive to create more sustainable communities. By harnessing solar energy we can deliver vital water supplies with a lower carbon footprint and maximise our wider contribution to a flourishing Scotland.”

The sites at Mannofield and Peterhead join a long list of PV schemes already up and running at many Scottish Water assets across Scotland. To date, 21 MW of solar PV power has been installed at 62 sites, generating 17.2 GWh of renewable energy every year as Scottish Water strives to become a zero-carbon user of electricity.