A heat-from-sewage scheme in the Scottish Borders has won an accolade at The Scottish Green Energy Awards in Edinburgh.

The sewage energy recovery infrastructure at Scottish Borders College picked up the top prize in the Best Innovation category at the event in Edinburgh on Thursday, 30 November.

The project, installed by Scottish Water Horizons and SHARC Energy Systems, supplies the majority of the College's annual heating and hot water demand by utilising the warmth of Scottish Water's waste water network.

Thanks to discharge from rainwater and household appliances such as dishwashers and showers, the College is able to save 150 tonnes of carbon per annum.

The scheme is the first of its kind in the UK and the first time the technology has been integrated with the public sewerage system.


This is the second award in two weeks for the system, having been acknowledged at the recent Green Gown Awards in Manchester, which recognises sustainability initiatives being undertaken in the university and college sector.

A wider potential roll-out of the system across Scotland is currently being considered.

Donald MacBrayne, Scottish Water Horizons Business Development Manager, said: "These awards are a real showcase for sustainable energy and it's an honour to have been selected as the winner in this category. Innovation is at the heart of what we do in terms of developing new ways to generate energy – in this case heat – which will have a wide range of positive benefits.

"We hope that this latest recognition, added to the project's success in the Green Gown Awards, adds to the excitement across our communities and our industry about the potential for this kind of technology and systems like the Scottish Borders College heat from sewage network."

Russ Burton, Chief Operating Officer at SHARC Energy Systems, said: "On behalf of the team at SHARC, I am absolutely thrilled to have won the innovation category at the Scottish Green Energy Awards.

"It is a privilege for SHARC to have been involved in developing the Borders installation, in partnership with Scottish Water Horizons.

"The work we have done with Scottish Water Horizons and Borders College is a real demonstration of how collaboration and shared vison can generate an outstanding outcome for all stakeholders of a process."

(LM/JP)