MEMBER NEWS: Aberdeen Science Centre is walking on sunshine after receiving more than £37,000 in funding for rooftop solar panels

March 13, 2024
MEMBER NEWS: Aberdeen Science Centre is walking on sunshine after receiving more than £37,000 in funding for rooftop solar panels

Aberdeen Science Centre has been awarded more than £37,000 in funding to install rooftop solar panels, which will see the centre benefit from improved energy efficiency and a reduction in its energy bills.

A total of 48 solar panels, which have been donated to Aberdeen Science Centre, are set to be fitted to the centre’s roof shortly. The donation was facilitated by global renewable energy producer Sonnedix.

Responsible finance provider Social Investment Scotland (SIS) awarded the centre just over £27,000 in grant and loan funding to support the installation of the panels, while Sonnedix donated a further £10,000.

G & A Barnie Group, a Scottish engineering firm, has also agreed to install the panels at a reduced rate.

The solar panels are expected to generate close to 20,000 kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity per year, contributing to a significant reduction in Aberdeen Science Centre’s carbon emissions and a notable saving in its energy costs.

Bryan Snelling, chief executive officer at Aberdeen Science Centre, said: “At Aberdeen Science Centre, we pride ourselves on helping our visitors to discover more about the science behind renewable energy, and thanks to the generous support of Social Investment Scotland, Sonnedix and G & A Barnie Group, we can now truly make use of that science to power our centre.

“With close to 50 solar panels set to be installed on our centre’s roof, we are proud to be making our operations greener and doing our bit to reduce Aberdeen’s carbon footprint. The money saved on our bills can also be reinvested into our centre and into further developing our public offering of exhibits, workshops, and community projects.”

On the support from Sonnedix towards the project, Dijana Vlaisavljevic, head of ESG at Sonnedix, said: “Decarbonising communities and making a meaningful social impact is at the heart of what we do, and supporting the Aberdeen Science Centre is testament to this commitment. Increasing educational initiatives related to renewable energy and climate change has been a longtime priority for us, and we are excited about extending these efforts to Scotland and contributing to its net zero journey.”

SIS offers a number of funding options to help diversify Scotland’s economy away from carbon-intensive industries, ensuring the creation of good, green jobs and ensuring all communities directly benefit and contribute to a sustainable and just transition to net zero.

Chris Jamieson, head of investments at SIS, said: “Supporting the third sector to reach net zero will ultimately help towards Scotland’s overall ambition for a green, fair energy transition by 2045. Access to financial support is essential for social enterprises to invest in improvements and new infrastructure, such as solar energy, and we look forward to hearing about the difference it makes for Aberdeen Science Centre.”

Based on Constitution Street near Aberdeen beach, ASC is home to almost 65 interactive exhibits, allowing people of all ages to discover topics including Space, Energy, Life Sciences, Engineering, and much more.

Open seven days a week, Aberdeen Science Centre also offers exclusive venue hire as well as room hire for corporate, social and private events.

To book a visit to the centre, visit https://aberdeensciencecentre.org/

Get in touch

AREG is the original energy transition organisation, working on behalf of members to empower the energy supply chain and champion its expertise. Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to find out more about membership.

Contact Us
“

AREG has played an important role in the growth of Scotland’s renewable energy sector, engaging the supply chain and developing the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. However, we are only at the very beginning of the transition that AREG was established to both lead and support so there are still opportunities for companies to get into the constantly evolving renewables supply chain. We look forward to continuing our work together as renewables builds on its place as Scotland’s main source of power, and as we seek to deliver real change in the crucial areas of heat and transport.

Scottish Renewables
“

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce has worked closely with AREG since its formation. The recent progress in the developments of offshore wind projects by Equinor and Vattenfall are as a result of the work of the group over many years. The north-east is known as the oil and gas capital of Europe. At the Chamber, we believe the region must evolve its position to being recognised as the energy capital. Whilst hydrocarbons will continue to be essential in driving our economy for years to come, the generation of renewable resources will play an increasingly important role in providing cost-effective power, innovative development and economic growth.

Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce
“

The enthusiasm and dedication of the early group that would become AREG was fundamental in us choosing to launch All-Energy in Aberdeen. The first tiny show was held in 2001, and AREG’s Chairman at the time, Jeremy Cresswell, played such an active role that I often describe him in terms such as All-Energy’s ‘midwife’. All-Energy is now the UK’s largest renewable and low carbon energy exhibition and conference in terms of number of attendees, space booked, and number of exhibiting companies. As AREG became firmly established, their presence and support for the event grew spectacularly over the years. We thank them most sincerely for their invaluable input.

All-Energy
“

Vattenfall has forged a strong working relationship with AREG through the development of the European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre. AREG has worked tirelessly on behalf of the North East and it can take enormous credit for the growth of sustainable energy in the region and the path it has cleared for the region to capture further investment.

Vattenfall
“

Aberdeen City and Shire is emerging as a key location for renewables by successfully transferring its world-class oil and gas expertise into the sector and AREG has done much to advance this through a broad range of initiatives. It has acted as a catalyst in driving further investment in the local economy by engaging with companies, Government, public bodies and existing projects and we have been pleased to support their efforts. Scottish Enterprise will continue to engage with AREG as we increase Scotland’s use of renewable energy.

Scottish Enterprise