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Transforming natural river flow into clean energy with Atholl Estates
We’re empowering Atholl Estate in its drive to adopt renewable energy production and maximise its revenue streams while preserving the natural beauty of its surroundings.
Atholl Estate Hydropower Schemes
As the transition to net zero pushes on, hydropower continues to play a crucial role by providing low-carbon, reliable energy year after year. One of our long-term generator partners is the Atholl Estate. The Atholl Estate is one of Scotland’s best-known Highland Estates, covering 145,000 acres a couple of hours north of Glasgow.
The original scheme, which has a fascinating history, was constructed in 1908 to bring light to the castle and local businesses. It was decommissioned in the 1950s when the national grid established local energy infrastructure to cater to this need. The estate has many naturally occurring lochs and rivers, ample rainfall and snowmelt over the winter months, and is guaranteed a steady flow of water year-round.
In 2014, in line with its commitment to renewable energy production, and to address the sizable energy costs of running the castle, the Estate repurposed old infrastructure and re-commissioned the 89kW hydropower scheme. It now has a strategically developed network of run-of-river and loch storage hydropower schemes.
Harnessing renewable resources has enabled the Estate to fine-tune its energy management strategies. This approach not only maximises the return on investment but also establishes a dependable and sustainable revenue stream for the estate's future endeavours. We’ve been partnering with Atholl since 2012 providing consistent and reliable revenue streams on our Fixed PPA product.
Boosting access to renewable energy sources like hydropower is one way we’re enabling better, greener energy choices. The construction of the five hydropower schemes provides Atholl Estate with up to 2.5MW of generation capacity. That’s enough to power a small town. The Blair Castle hydropower scheme meets the energy demand of the castle’s operations and provides any surplus renewable energy to the grid.
Three of the schemes benefit from controlled loch storage flow management, which increases output by around 20% and can increase the schemes' efficiency to over 60%. This is significant, as it means the three loch storage schemes can operate at peak output for over 60% of the time.
Catering to the growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), Atholl Estate has installed EV charging points for visitors at Blair Castle and the adjacent campground. Both are powered entirely by renewable energy.
As well as refining the energy management of the five schemes, and considering flexible market participation, we’re supporting Atholl’s operations team in managing heating and energy efficiency initiatives across the Estate.
Five hydropower schemes located across the estate, help power Blair Castle, a popular tourist destination, and provide a vital revenue stream to help with the day-to-day upkeep of the vast 145,000-acre Estate. During construction, local communities and wildlife were respected. For one of the schemes, routes were adapted significantly to protect a large habitat of otter families and leave the local wildlife untouched. Huge efforts were made to reduce visual impacts and retain the natural beauty of the vast estate.
Using our Fixed PPA product, Atholl Estate is able to easily handle their contract with minimal management, with support available from our dedicated customer services team.
With a fixed price for their power alongside the reliable nature of hydropower, Atholl Estate has a consistent level of income certainty and protection from market volatility, providing ongoing support even at times when tourism to the castle is low.
Through our partnership with Atholl, we’re supporting their commitment to renewable energy. Atholl’s plans are wide-ranging and include land management, farming, forestry, moorland management, property maintenance, property development and energy. Along with our other generator partners, Atholl is confident that we’re a secure partner for years to come. Together, we’re empowering a greener generation.
Watch the video as Andrew Bruce Wooton, CEO of Atholl Estate, discusses the development and running of the hydropower schemes and their relationship with SmartestEnergy.
The five hydropower schemes constructed across Atholl Estate not only help power Blair Castle, but provide a vital revenue stream to help with the day-to-day upkeep of the vast estate. During construction, we were careful to respect local communities and wildlife, which meant adapting routes to protect otter families and efforts to reduce visual impacts. Now during operation, we continue to refine our energy management of the schemes.
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