No-one is ever going to pretend that the sun always shines here in Scotland.
But we have some bright ideas that can harness the power of the sun and help businesses to bloom.
One such idea that’s really taking off is at Edinburgh Airport, where an 11-acre solar farm is being built on the airfield beside the runway.
It’s due to be finished in March next year and will provide 27 per cent of the airport’s energy needs. And, impressively, it’s the first project of its kind in the UK.
The solar farm is being funded by the airport along with the Scottish Government through its Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme and will supply 40 electric charging points for staff and passengers.
And the airport’s chief executive, Gordon Dewar, is delighted to be leading the way in providing sustainable energy for the UK’s transport hubs.
He said: “This project illustrates our commitment to making environmental improvements and is something passengers will actually be able to see as they arrive or depart.”
This development shows clearly that Scotland is a place where businesses can come and benefit from new ideas that will deliver a sustainable future.”
Meanwhile, in the West of Scotland bosses at Glasgow Airport have submitted plans for a 15MW solar farm set over 30 acres which, if given planning permission, would see Scotland’s largest solar farm generate enough power for the airport campus as well as neighbouring businesses, equivalent to powering over 52,000 homes. If given the go-ahead, construction could be completed by summer 2023.
Undoubtedly good for the planet, the move to increased solar power is likely to have positive economic benefits, as the industry could generate thousands of jobs in Scotland by the end of the decade, according to business experts.
The industry body Solar Energy Scotland said that 8,500 new posts could be created if its solar targets are met, which is great news for the Scottish economy and businesses.
Thomas McMillan, the chairman of Solar Energy Scotland, said: “We now have, for the first time, a real sense of how many high-quality jobs the solar sector stands poised to bring to Scotland by the end of the decade.
“We can expect thousands of new jobs to be created, from the most rural parts of the country to our urban centres, and it’s not just installation and maintenance: our members will also be hiring energy advisers, environmental planners, data analysts, and many, many other roles.”
The prospect of bringing lots of high-quality jobs to Scotland through solar power shows that the outlook for employment and investment here is bright and sunny.
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