West Dumbartonshire Project Powers Ahead with Solar Energy
17 January 2025
A West Dumbartonshire drinking water tank goes green thanks to the installation of 548 solar panels.
The £485,000 scheme, based at a distribution service reservoir in Old Kilpatrick, will see almost half of the site’s energy needs met by renewable power. It is set to save 48 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent annually.
The panels, which have been installed on top of a Scottish Water water tank, help distribute drinking water to residents in the West Dumbartonshire area. The scheme is expected to generate 0.26GWh of green energy per year – the same amount needed to boil around 1.2 million kettles.
Scottish Water Horizons Project Manager Keliann Arthur, who developed the project, 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 Dumbartonshire 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.”
The project was delivered by renewable energy specialists Emtec Energy.
