Scottish Water has installed an additional 516 solar Photovoltaic (PV) panels at its waste water treatment works in St Andrews as part of its pledge to reach net zero emissions by 2040.
The carbon reducing technology will offset almost 10% of the electricity required to operate the facility and generate 0.145 GWh of energy on an annual basis, saving 34 CO2 equivalent tonnes per annum.
Scottish Water Horizons, the water company’s commercial subsidiary, invested £220,000 installing the panels along with a new electric car charging point, to help support the transition of the utility’s fleet of vans away from fossil fuels to clean energy. Renewable energy experts Absolute Solar and Wind delivered the project.
Roddy Speirs, Project Manager for Scottish Water Horizons, said:
“PV power plays a major role in helping tackle climate change and reduce carbon footprint. The renewable energy generated here in St Andrews will help Scottish Water become a greener organisation and reach our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2040.”
The Fife site joins a portfolio of more than 76 water and waste water treatment works which are now either self-sufficient or partly sufficient in generating their own power requirements.
Stephen Bartie, Asset Planner for Scottish Water, added:
“Sustainable solutions such as this are great news for the environment and also for our customers. This historic town’s waste water is now being treated with a lower carbon impact, making the community greener and more sustainable.”
The energy needed to provide essential water and waste water services makes Scottish Water the largest single user of electricity in the country. The utility has announced a target to host or self-generate three times its annual electricity consumption by 2030.
UK water companies are invited to join an upcoming webinar which will explore how the sector can take indirect potable reuse (IPR) from concept to full-scale operational reality.
James Sumsion, CEO of predictive water intelligence specialists Kohtari, says the water sector needs to take a giant leap forward, so that it can anticipate and act upon water quality issues - rather than merely react.
Ray Moulds, Sales Director at Flood Control International, takes a look at how automated sliding floodgates are supporting secondary containment at water and sewerage company sites.
With the UK government demanding a 50% reduction in storm overflow spills by 2029, the era of reactive management is over. Speaking in the House of Commons on 21 July 2025, then environment secretary Steve Reed said, “This Government will cut water companies’ sewage pollution in half by the end of the decade.”
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.