Standard content for Members only
To continue reading this article, please login to your Utility Week account, Start 14 day trial or Become a member.
If your organisation already has a corporate membership and you haven’t activated it simply follow the register link below. Check here.
Northumbrian Water has added 3,600 solar panels with a total capacity of 1.9MW to a water treatment works in County Durham as it seeks to achieve net zero emissions by 2027.
The array at the Lumley treatment works, which will generate 1.9GWh of electricity each year, is part of its efforts to ramp up solar generation at its sites to 18MW of capacity and 12GWh of annual output by the end of 2022. Prior to the installation at Lumley, the company already had solar panels at two of its sites generating 243MWh annually.
Northumbrian is planning to install solar farms at five more sites this year. Work is already underway at wastewater treatment plants in Sedgeletch, Billingham, Newton Aycliffe and Blyth, while planning permission is being sought for an array on land near the treatment works in Darlington.
Group commercial director, Graham Southall, said: “Water and wastewater treatment are energy intensive, so while we are looking at innovative methods of reducing that consumption, we are also looking to make the best use of the space we have on these sites to generate green power. Solar represents a great opportunity to maximise the potential of that space. By doing so, we can take an important step towards our net zero goal.”
As well as generating its own solar power, Northumbrian also uses all of its sewage sludge as fuel and procures low-carbon electricity for all of its sites.
Between 2008 and 2020 the company reduced its carbon emissions from 303,000 to 56,000 tonnes. It has set itself the Emission Possible ambition of achieving net zero carbon emission three years ahead of the shared water sector commitment of 2030.
Please login or Register to leave a comment.