Hydropower wins hearts in the Highlands

An innovative energy generation scheme in the Scottish Highlands is now the pride of the community

Residents based in Inverness and the Scottish Highlands are celebrating continued progress towards net zero thanks to an innovative renewable energy project driven by their local authority.

Designed by The Highland Council, which is working towards Scotland’s 2045 net zero target, the River Ness hydro project saw the installation of hydroelectric equipment on the banks of the River Ness opposite Holm Mills Bridge. 

Officially dubbed Hydro Ness, the scheme has since become a centre of pride of the community, who have become its keenest advocates and for the climate action it represents. 

Stuart Miller, project manager at The Highland Council, said: “Hydro Ness is a great example of a sustainability project that has succeeded in not only reducing our environmental impact, but also in capturing the hearts and minds of the community.” 

Since it was officially opened in July 2022, the system has continued to attract local and international interest. With around six million visitors recorded through the Highlands every year, the associated visitor centre was set up to involve guests in the climate conversation. 

Built utilising historical infrastructure from a disused hydro scheme that dates back to the 1920s, the installation generates energy by harnessing the natural flow of the river. This is done through turbines and generators which convert kinetic energy into an electrical charge, which, for the Hydro Ness, is then fed back to the local leisure centre for use.

Stuart added: “The installation has succeeded in not only helping to educate both locals and tourists about the impacts of climate change, but it is also in delivering tangible outcomes for residents, with energy generated helping to power the nearby Inverness Leisure Centre.”

Inverness Leisure Centre is a community hub with a swimming pool, gym and fitness studio, community spaces for meetings and conferences and more. The centre also has a specialist cardiac rehabilitation service which works in connection with the NHS to provide specific exercise classes for those recovering from cardiac events or living with a cardiac condition. Now installed, the scheme generates more than 500,000 kWh of renewable energy every year for this important facility.

To support the £1.7 million project, The Highland Council secured a loan of more than £980,000 from the Scotland Recycling Fund. We deliver funding for this scheme on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Energy experts estimate that the energy generated through the scheme should save the council more than £74,000 in annual energy bills and 154 tonnes of carbon emissions every year. The reduction in emissions is the equivalent of driving 385,000 miles in an average petrol car – a distance large enough to get you from Earth to the moon twice*.

Key to project success, say council representatives, was engagement with the local community from concept through to installation. This engagement ensured that the community was not only aware of the what the installation was, but also connected them with the overall purpose and the role schemes like this play in the journey to a net zero future. 

Amongst engagement initiatives was a competition which invited the community to submit ideas for what the scheme might be called. The successful name, Hydro Ness, was put forward by Grace Mackenzie, a pupil from the nearby Milton of Leys Primary School.

Maisie Loggie, programme manager for Scotland at Salix said: “Hydro Ness is a unique project.  The positive outcomes demonstrate the importance of bringing people on the decarbonisation journey with you. 

“The way that The Highland Council has used the works to educate the local community about climate change and what they can do to address this is nothing short of inspirational. The pride the community have for the installation highlights the success of doing this.” 

Alongside the Hydro Ness project, The Highland Council has used its Scotland Recycling Fund to complete a further 49 decarbonisation and energy efficiency projects.  When combined, these projects are predicted to save equivalent to 2,016 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. This equates charging a smartphone more than 133.5 million times or the carbon capture capability of 91,636 trees*.

You can read more about Hydro Ness via the Highland Council website. 

About the Scotland Recycling Fund

The Scotland Recycling Fund is a ring-fenced fund, created with capital provided through Salix matched by the public sector organisation. It is a loan-based scheme that encourages participants to re-invest financial savings that result from projects into further decarbonisation and energy efficiency projects, thus operating in a cyclic manner. 

*Carbon calculations have been generated through a tool created by our carbon and technical experts here at Salix. The intention is to provide carbon savings estimates to aid with a common understanding of emission data and statistics. These estimates are approximate; it is not recommended to use this tool for formal carbon emissions analysis. The tool uses UK government conversion factors alongside emissions estimates sourced from various studies, but it is possible a margin of error may exist. For more information about the formulas and methodology used in this tool, please contact us at [email protected]. E&OE.