Scottish Water Charting a Net Zero Future
Reaching net zero emissions by mid-century will require bold action. Read how Scottish Water is stepping up and charting a net zero future a whole decade earlier.
Reaching net zero emissions by 2050 will require large-scale actions over the next decade, for example, the IEA estimates that to bring about a 40% reduction in emissions by 2030 requires that low-emissions sources provide nearly 75% of global electricity generation (up from 40% in 2019) and that 50% of vehicles sold are electric (up from 2.5%).
Scottish Water has developed a routemap that outlines how the water company will achieve net zero emissions by 2040 onwards. The routemap outlines a new approach that fully embraces a low-carbon future in delivering water and wastewater services as well as a commitment to running a fully emissions-free vehicle fleet. Already, the water company has taken significant steps towards achieving these goals.
Renewable energy
Scottish Water has implemented a range of renewable and low-carbon energy technologies, including the following:
- Solar photovoltaic: To date, Scottish Water has 8 MW of PV power installed at over 42 sites, generating 6.3-gigawatt-hours of renewable energy each year. The largest installation is at Erskine Waste Water Treatment Works, where more than 1,700 ground-mounted PV panels have been installed, offsetting around 15% of the electricity required to operate the works
- Hydropower: Scottish Water has installed turbines at more than 28 of its assets across Scotland. The turbines are used to offset energy consumption at treatment works, with surplus energy exported to the national grid. Currently, 5. 5MW of hydropower capacity has been installed, with the aim of installing a further 2.2 MW
- Wind: Scottish Water has installed 18 small scale wind schemes at its treatment works to help offset the amount of electricity purchased from the grid. The water company also hosts more than 830 GWh or wind generation from private investment in renewables on its land at several locations
- Anaerobic digestion: Scottish Water’s purpose-built recycling facility near Cumberland uses anaerobic digestion technology to generate green energy from food waste. The facility can handle 30,000 tonnes of food waste, generating up to 8 GWh of renewable energy per annum
- Combined heat and power (CHP): Scottish Water operates CHP plants at some of its wastewater treatment plants. It has also partnered with Stirling Council on its Stirling Low Carbon Heat Project that will bring cheap, sustainable heat to the city
- Heat from Waste Water: Scottish Water has facilitated the installation of the first heat from wastewater scheme in the UK at a college, with the scheme recovering wasted heat from the public sewer to supply the majority of the annual heating and hot water demand on the campus
Electric vehicles
Scottish Water has introduced 12 Nissan Leaf electric cars that will be used at its offices and depots across Scotland while Renault has provided three additional Kangoo ZE vans. Water samplers will use the vans in the Highlands. The vans have 140-litre sampling fridges inside that are powered by roof-mounted 150-watt solar panels, ensuring the samples are kept between 2 and 8°C during transportation to meet Drinking Water Testing Specification standards.
The take-out
Net zero requires leaving no ‘renewable energy’ stone unturned.
Join the conversation on the following LinkedIn groups: Urban Water Security, Our Future Water, Circular Water Economy, Blue and Green, and Nature-Based Solutions
