SSE Renewables is the official STEM partner of a 98kW hydroelectric scheme in Inverness, supporting educational information points at the site and providing school outreach materials.
The Hydro Ness plant uses historical infrastructure from a disused hydro scheme dating back to 1929, to generate over 500,000kWh of renewable electricity each year for the nearby Inverness Leisure Centre.
Hydro Ness will act as a STEM learning hub and provide visitors with the opportunity to interact with a unique micro run-of-the-river hydro scheme and learn about the neighbouring environment and ecology.
The content funded by SSE Renewables will provide background on different hydro technologies and help showcase large scale hydro schemes, specifically the company’s flagship Coire Glas project.
The Coire Glas project is a large-scale hydro pumped storage scheme at Loch Lochy in the Great Glen which will have a potential capacity of up to 1500MW and would more than double Great Britain’s existing electricity storage capacity.
Ian Innes, Coire Glas Project Director for SSE Renewables, said: “Hydro Ness is a really exciting project, not only for the carbon and energy benefits it can deliver, but also its ambition in terms of site content and messaging.
“We are delighted to support the project, particularly given the obvious synergy between Hydro Ness and our flagship Coire Glas project.
“These types of projects will be absolutely vital in achieving net zero and we are excited to see people visit the site and engage with the educational materials and STEM learning opportunities.”