While shots of private jets touching down in Glasgow may have raised some eyebrows, measures have been taken to keep the environmental impact of COP26 to a minimum.
The landmark climate change summit, billed by many as the world’s last hope to get a leash on carbon emissions, is being powered entirely by renewable energy generated by a Scottish onshore wind farm.
The energy supplied to the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) venues hosting COP26 has been traced back to SSE’s Griffin development in Perthshire.
SSE Energy Solutions is providing the power for all three COP26 permanent venues on the banks of the River Clyde in Glasgow.
And the company has been able to pinpoint the exact origin of the summit’s power supply as green energy can be traced back to specific wind farms, operated by SSE Renewables.
The SEC is made up of five interconnected exhibition spaces, a 3,000 seat auditorium and a 14,300 capacity arena.
It made the switch to 100% green energy in 2020 as part of its long-term sustainability strategy.
Temporary structures that have been erected for COP26 are not powered by SSE.
Nikki Flanders, managing director of energy customer solutions at SSE, said: “Businesses are increasingly looking at ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Traceability and transparency of where our energy comes from allows companies to be sure they are operating with as clean an energy source as possible. With SSE Green Electricity matched to a specific renewable asset, they can be confident when engaging with investors, employees and customers.
© Supplied by SSE Renewables“As the world comes together at COP26 to unite against climate change, it’s fitting that The SEC has chosen to be powered by clean Scottish wind.
“As principal partners at COP26, we understand that strong leadership and ambition will be vital in the race to net zero. It’s great to see The SEC lead the way in choosing clean energy solutions when the eyes of the world are on Scotland.”
The SEC’s commitment to traceable, renewable electricity highlights is part of a wider trend.
Under pressure for investors and customers, businesses increasingly want to understand where their energy comes from.
Many organisations are aligning with COP26 objectives to beat climate change by setting themselves net zero emissions goals.
© Supplied by SSE RenewablesBilly McFadyen, director of finance and development at the SEC, added “We’ve been committed to choosing 100% green electricity for our venues for some time now, which sets our clear intentions about our climate change ambitions throughout the course of COP26 and beyond.
“SSE is doing a fantastic job of providing energy solutions and infrastructure to help organisations like us decarbonise. We’ve been working closely with them for a number of years to ensure that our energy supply comes from renewable sources and they are supporting us in our longer term sustainability strategy.”
SSE is the largest generator of renewable electricity across the UK and Ireland.
It has 42 wind farms and 52 hydro power stations, plus another 7GW of wind power in the pipeline.
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