Sustainable energy

We're working to transform our heating and electricity systems so they use a greater amount of sustainable energy. By doing this, we'll help to deliver zero-carbon, affordable energy for all.

This guide rounds up details of our strategies, and provides an overview of some of the projects we're delivering in the Stirling area. 

The Regional Energy Masterplan is a joint City Region Deal project, between Stirling Council and Clackmannanshire Council and was approved by both councils in December 2023.  The plan focuses on the key themes of energy efficiency, heat management, renewable generation, and the subsequent sequestration of residual emissions which will allow us to reach net-zero. This has resulted in a delivery plan broken into phases detailing the projects which will allow us to reduce fuel poverty, reduce emissions, and improve the resilience of the local energy supply.

This masterplan satisfies our Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) statutory obligations.  As such, this will be reviewed every 5 years to ensure on-going compliance.

In 2019, we worked with Scottish Water Horizons to install a low-carbon district heating network in the Forthside area of Stirling. We did this with funding from the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme, which includes European capital funds.

The network uses innovative technology to provide heat to buildings via hot water from Forthside’s waste water plant. Buildings that benefit from this include:

• the Peak
• Forthbank Stadium
• St Modan’s High School
• Jubilee House
• the Barracks Development

We plan to bring in more users in the future, and might also expand the heating network.

Opened in 2021, the Castleview Low Carbon Transport Hub is a vehicle charging station that uses renewable energy to power electric vehicle charger points.

The hub has:

• 1,400 square metres of solar panels that produce about 200,000 kilowatts per hour of renewable electricity a year
• battery storage capacity of 352 kilowatts per hour for periods of little or no sunlight

The hub's solar panels are fitted to canopies above the car parking spaces. The renewable electricity they produce powers 64 electric vehicle chargers.

The project to create the hub was part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Scottish Government.