Solar Scheme Proposal for Balmore Water Treatment Works in East Dunbartonshire
Project Overview
Our largest and most ambitious solar energy scheme is currently being planned for East Dunbartonshire, within the grounds of one of our most energy intense assets – Balmore Water Treatment Works (WTW).
A £3m investment made by Scottish Water’s commercial subsidiary, Scottish Water Horizons, would see ground-mounted solar Photovoltaic (PV) panels installed at the treatment works in Torrance.
Balmore is one of the largest water treatment plants in Scottish Water’s portfolio. It has the ability to treat water from Loch Katrine and Loch Lomond for supply to parts of East Dunbartonshire, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, the Falkirk and Grangemouth areas, and West Lothian.
An aerial view of Balmore WTW as it is now.
An aerial view of how Balmore WTW would look with the solar panels installed.
Proposal For The Scheme
8,620 ground-mounted solar Photovoltaic (PV) panels would be installed at our treatment works in Torrance, on our own land.It's hoped that construction on the PV scheme will begin in winter 2021. It is expected that the project will be delivered by renewable energy solutions specialists FES Support Services Ltd, on behalf of Scottish Water Horizons.
Electric vehicle charging facilities would also be installed at the facility to support the transition of our 1,600-vehicle fleet of vans and tankers from fossil fuels to clean electricity.
Ecological surveys have already been carried out to ensure any impact on the local environment is kept to a minimum during construction.
Solar Technology
The solar panels would be ground-mounted, just like the ones pictured here at Erskine Waste Water Treatment Works.
Why We Want To Do This
The renewable electricity that would be generated here at Balmore would go a long way towards helping Scottish Water reach both its net zero commitment, and a further goal to host or self-generate renewable power equivalent to three times our annual electricity consumption by 2030.The green technology would offset 19 per cent of the electricity required to operate the facility, with the new solar PV system generating 4 GWh of energy on an annual basis – that’s the same amount of energy needed to power around 1,300 standard UK homes.
The scheme would save around 1,100 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per annum.
It is a perfect example of how our assets can make a significant contribution to lowering our carbon footprint for the benefit of customers and the environment.
