A new solar scheme is now helping to power essential water services in the Scottish Borders - the scheme will help reduce operating costs and cut carbon emissions at the site.

Photo:The new solar scheme at Roberton Water Treatment Works

The £371,000 investment has seen the installation of 450 tank-top mounted solar panels at Roberton Water Treatment Works near Hawick, which will generate around 0.21GWh of green electricity annually.

Sixty-five percent of the energy generated will be used directly on site, meeting a quarter of the site’s total energy demands. The surplus is exported to the national grid, making renewable energy available to other customers in the region.

The investment will not only reduce the operational costs of running the Roberton site but will also provide resilience against the volatility of grid electricity prices, ensuring lasting value for Scottish Water’s customers for over 30 years.

In addition to the financial savings, the project will cut carbon emissions by around 43 tonnes of CO2 equivalent each year, making the water treatment process at Roberton less carbon intensive and bringing the publicly-owned utility company closer to its goal of net zero emissions by 2040.

The project has been led by Scottish Water Horizons, the commercial subsidiary of Scottish Water, and delivered by renewables specialists R&A Group.

Murdo MacAuley, Scottish Water Horizons project manager, said:

“It is fantastic to see the completion of this solar scheme at Roberton Water Treatment Works, keeping up the momentum from previous years of rolling out renewable energy at Scottish Water sites across the country.

“By maximizing the use of clean energy at these sites, we are protecting the environment, delivering cost savings, and supporting the resilience of our essential water services.”

Scottish Water operations team leader Mick Jones added:

“In my operational area, in last 18 months alone, this is the third retrofit renewable energy project delivered on a water treatment asset, in addition to another solar project at Selkirk and a hydro project at Whiteadder reservoir.

“Together, these are predicted to deliver a combined cost reduction for my team of around £460,000 per annum. The projects will achieve those savings for at least the next 30 years and we expect the hydro investment to last significantly longer than that. The projects help us with our aspiration of having our water supplied at the lowest cost and lowest carbon impact possible.”