Greenspace Scotland – a charity that works with public sector bodies to pioneer new ways of managing and resourcing urban greenspace – published research on Monday 24 February revealed how the ground and water in and below Scotland’s parks and greenspaces could heat at least 15% of Scottish households. These spaces may also be able to provide green electricity from solar and hydro schemes and support needs for electric vehicle charging.
The research is presented in a report entitled PowerPark: An Introduction. ParkPower is a multi-phase programme run by Greenspace Scotland to investigate the potential for hosting green energy infrastructure within parks and greenspaces in Scotland. The project was funded by the National Lottery Heritage and Community Funds and Nesta through the Rethinking Parks programme.
It also reveals which Scottish local authorities have the greatest untapped energy potential from their parks and greenspaces.
Paul Steen, Department Manager – UK District Energy, Ramboll said: “A key challenge in meeting Scotland’s net zero carbon ambition by 2045 is decarbonising our energy system. The ParkPower project shows the huge green energy potential waiting to be unlocked from Scotland’s parks and greenspaces.”
Pixie Energy is an incubator and a facilitator of strategic research and project work, focusing on energy regulation, policy and markets at the local and national level. Find out more about Pixie Energy