A SCOTTISH wind farm is supplying all of the renewable energy powering COP26 at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, it has been revealed.
SSE Renewables, which is providing power for the climate change conference venues, said the energy had been traced back to its Griffin Wind Farm in Perthshire, meaning it is 100% Scottish and 100% renewable.
The company is providing power for all three COP26 permanent venues on the backs of the River Clyde and has been able to pinpoint its source because renewable energy can be traced back to specific wind farms it operates.
Nikki Flanders, managing director of Energy Customer Solutions, said: “Businesses are increasingly looking at ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
“Traceability and transparency of where our energy comes from allows companies to be sure they are operating with as clean an energy source as possible.
“With SSE Green Electricity matched to a specific renewable asset, they can be confident when engaging with investors, employees and customers.
“As the world comes together at COP26 to unite against climate change, it’s fitting that the SEC has chosen to be powered by clean Scottish wind.
“As principal partners at COP26, we understand that strong leadership and ambition will be vital in the race to net zero. It’s great to see The SEC lead the way in choosing clean energy solutions when the eyes of the world are on Scotland.”
The SEC’s commitment to traceable, renewable electricity highlights the growing demand from businesses to understand where their energy comes from.
Many have aligned with COP26 objectives to beat climate change by setting themselves ambitious sustainability goals amid increasing demand from shareholders, customers and employees.
Billy McFadyen, director of finance and development at the SEC, added “We’ve been committed to choosing 100% green electricity for our venues for some time now, which sets our clear intentions about our climate change ambitions throughout the course of COP26 and beyond.
“SSE is doing a fantastic job of providing energy solutions and infrastructure to help organisations like us decarbonise. We’ve been working closely with them for a number of years to ensure that our energy supply comes from renewable sources and they are supporting us in our longer term sustainability strategy.”
SSE is the largest generator of renewable electricity across the UK and Ireland, with 42 wind farms and 52 hydro power stations, plus another 7GW of on- and off-shore wind power in the pipeline.
SSE Energy Solutions has already supplied upwards of 70,000 customers with 100% renewable electricity which, over the past five years, has resulted in more than six million tonnes less carbon in the atmosphere compared to the equivalent power generated by fossil fuels.
Glasgow-based energy software firm Smarter Grid Solutions, meanwhile, announced yesterday that it will almost double the amount of renewable energy that can be generated by customers using its systems in the coming months.
Renewables projects capable of generating a combined 272MW of power will be connected to electricity networks in Europe and the US, with connections to a first deployment in Asia to follow soon after.
The new generators – including wind turbines, solar panels, and other renewable technologies – will take the capacity of SGS’s customers’ assets to a record 573MW.
Its software allows electricity grid operators to connect more renewable generators to their networks by minimising the amount of expensive infrastructure, such as cables and substations, that need to be installed.
The company, recently bought by Japanese industrial giant Mitsubishi Electric, provides software to enable better grid connections.
Co-founder of SGS and its executive vice-president, Dr Graham Ault, said: “There’s a long way to go to hit the carbon-reduction commitments being made by governments, but using innovative technology like ours is already allowing power network operators and energy asset owners to lead decarbonisation.”
News of the latest figures came as SGS revealed the latest update on its own carbon footprint, which showed it has cut its emissions from 241.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (tCO2e) in 2019 to 126 tCO2e estimated to the end of 2021, representing a 48% drop.
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