A new £1.8 million Green Energy Hub has been launched at Dumfries and Galloway College thanks to funding from SP Energy Networks’ Green Economy Fund.
The hub was officially opened by Principal Joanna Campbell and SP Energy Networks’ Chief Executive, Frank Mitchell, at a ceremony at the college’s Dumfries campus.
The hub will promote sustainable economic growth, increased air quality and other aspects of environmental forward-planning in the region.
The technology provided by the hub will allow access to a significant range of practical solutions to the challenges of heating, power, and water supply faced by the college as well as creating a valuable teaching tool for students.
The Green Economy Fund has awarded £195,000 to these technologies which are not only being utilised to provide power and heat to the hub, they will also be used as teaching aids. Technologies include a wind turbine, heat pumps, solar arrays, battery storage and EV charging points.
The fund supports the Scottish Government’s ambitious plans to meet climate change targets and aims to boost local economic growth, improve air quality and deliver a better future, quicker for all. Funded projects are critical to green recovery as the UK economy recovers from the impact of Covid-19.
Dumfries and Galloway College, led by Principal Joanna Campbell and her team, is committed to playing a positive role in the South of Scotland, particularly in terms of economic growth and sustainability, and the establishment of this leading facility is the latest way in which this has been put into practice.
So far, 33 projects have been awarded funding from SP Energy Networks’ Green Economy Fund across Central and Southern Scotland to make real, lasting, and positive change across the country.
Principal Joanna Campbell said:“The scale of the opportunities that this new hub of technology and innovation will bring to the South of Scotland is simply astonishing.
“A project of this scale requires real and effective partnership to deliver, and we’re delighted to be working with our trusted and valued partners at SP Energy Networks in this way,
“While climate change is a significant and urgent problem, with projects like our hub leading the way, we can fight it together.”
Frank Mitchell, CEO of SP Energy Networks, said: “Scotland has ambitious goals to become Net Zero by 2045. Flagship education projects, such as the new Green Energy Hub at Dumfries and Galloway College, supports this ambition, helping to power the next generation of sustainability experts and create the workforce of the future.
“The Green Economy Fund was created to help communities build their green economy and establish low carbon infrastructure. The South of Scotland is quickly becoming a world leader in this area and we’re delighted to contribute to the continued success of the College’s renewables education as it tackles climate change and helps us all unlock net zero.”
Find out more about the projects supported by the SP Energy Networks Green Economy Fund here:
- SP Energy Networks Green Economy Fund
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