A £450,000 project to install over 1300 solar panels has been completed at Scottish Water’s water treatment works that serves customers in Inverness, Nairn and surrounding areas.
The scheme is the third-largest delivered to date by Scottish Water Horizons, the publicly-owned water company’s commercial subsidiary that works to encourage growth and invest in renewable technologies.
The solar panels are expected to provide a third of the energy needed at the site at Loch Ashie, 5 miles south-west of the Highland Capital.
It is the first Scottish Water renewable generation project to include the provision of charging points for electric vehicles.
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As part of its Net Zero Emissions Routemap, launched this week, this will become a feature of future projects as Scottish Water aims to operate a fully emissions-free fleet of vehicles by 2040.
Project manager Ian Piggott said: “Harnessing solar energy is just one of the many ways we are helping to tackle climate change and contributing to Scottish Water’s ambitious target to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.
“The site at Inverness provides a perfect opportunity to install a scheme of this scale, which will have a significant positive impact both on the environmental and financial cost of providing clear, fresh and great-tasting drinking water to around 86,000 customers in the Highland Capital and beyond."
The company aims to develop more green projects in the future.
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