Edinburgh’s Saughton Park restoration project has received a major boost thanks to funding from the Scottish Power (SP) Energy Networks Green Economy Fund.

Almost £1/2 million has been awarded toward the delivery of a micro hydro-electric system on the Water of Leith, which will power two ground source heat pumps and generate energy for the park’s lighting and buildings once their refurbishment is complete. As well as saving on energy costs, the innovative scheme to install an Archimedes Screw Turbine on an existing weir will help lower carbon emissions by providing a renewable energy solution in the park.

Julie Procter, Chief Executive of greenspace scotland, said:

“This is fantastic news for Saughton Park. Back in 2016, we worked with City of Edinbugh Council and the team at Saughton Park to undertake the first ParkPower Feasibility Study, with funding support from the Big Lottery Funds ‘Investing in Ideas’ programme. It’s great to see this being implemented with the final piece of the energy jigsaw now in place following the funding award from Scottish Power for the micro-hydro scheme.

We’re currently working on a Rethinking Parks project to extend the ParkPower concept Scotland-wide. This involves using data from Ordnance Survey on greenspaces and Scottish Government Heat mapping data to identify where are opportunities for parks to generate or store energy for use within the park and surrounding area. The idea for this project has its genesis with our work at Saughton Park.”

Work on Saughton Park’s micro hydro-electric scheme is expected to begin in March 2019.

Read more about greenspace scotland’s work on energy 

Read the City of Edinburgh Council press release