38, 200 kWh
Call us now on 01356628560
Call us now on 01356628560
We hosted our second annual Agri Power Open Day in February, welcoming landowners, agricultural businesses and industry specialists to explore the future of solar energy. With electricity prices continuing to rise, for many farms, solar is becoming a practical way to reduce costs and take back some control.
Collaboration
We were joined by our trusted partners, Fronius, SSEN, RADIX, Here’s the Plan, and Inspired Design and Development, with the morning centred around insightful presentations with plenty of time for open conversations and questions.
What made the morning particularly valuable was the opportunity to go beyond presentations, there were plenty of opportunities for the attendees to speak directly with the specialists. From grid constraints and system design to long-term performance and returns, it gave attendees a clearer understanding of what’s involved, and what's possible on their own farms.
“Scottish agriculture has always adapted and innovated. What we’re seeing now is the next phase of that, where energy becomes a core strategic asset for every farm.”
- John Forster, Founder and Chair
Key Takeaways
One thing that came through clearly at the event is that solar projects don’t sit in isolation. Planning, grid connections, system design, long-term performance all need to work together. Bringing the right people into the same room gave the attendees the chance to ask direct questions, talk through real challenges and understand what is possible on their own sites.
What stood out was also the shift in mindset of the sector. There’s still strong interest in solar but increasingly it’s being treated as a strategic part of the business rather than an add-on.
Attendees left with a clearer understanding of the opportunities available, whether that’s improving existing systems, exploring battery storage or making better use of available grid capacity. More importantly, they left with a better sense of what the next steps could look like for their own farms.
Featured in The Scotsman
We need to think differently about skills, standards and solutions to build bigger and better capacity, says John Forster
As we enter 2026, the construction sector stands at the centre of the UK’s most urgent social and economic challenges. Whether it is resolving the housing crisis, accelerating the energy transition, or retrofitting homes and buildings for net zero, the message from policymakers, industry bodies and clients is the same: we need to scale up.
But the real question is not whether we need more capacity. It is whether we can build that capacity in a way that is genuinely sustainable – economically, operationally and environmentally. Scaling up alone will not deliver the outcomes Scotland needs. What we need is sustainable scale.
This distinction matters. Too often, “scale” is interpreted simply as “doing more”, whether that’s more houses, more installations, more retrofits. But unless that activity is delivered with the right skills, to the right standards and using the right solutions, we risk repeating the mistakes of the past – inefficiency, rework, skills shortages and a race to the bottom on cost. Sustainable scale is about building the capability to deliver more and deliver better.
Every major transition the UK faces, from decarbonising heat to expanding renewable energy infrastructure, depends on tradespeople. Electricians, joiners, plumbers, roofers: these are the professions that will physically deliver the future we are planning for.
Yet the industry has long talked about skills shortages as if they are inevitable. Our experience at Forster Group suggests otherwise. With a trades workforce whose average age is just 30, we have shown that construction can recruit, retain and develop the next generation when it invests in apprenticeships that are both affordable and effective. High completion rates are not a pipe dream; they are the result of a sustainable model that supports apprentices from entry to qualification and beyond.
If Scotland is serious about scaling up, then building a resilient skills pipeline is not optional. It is the starting point.
Sustainable scale also means raising standards. Like many across the construction sector, we’ve invested time and money in returning to fix what was not done correctly the first time. In a period where every hour of labour and every pound of investment counts, this is simply unsustainable. Building a resilient construction skills pipeline is essential for the future
Yet procurement practices often push in the opposite direction. The “flight to value” – where lowest price becomes the dominant factor – rarely leads to the best outcomes. It can compromise material quality, workmanship and long‑term performance. If we want scale that lasts, we must reward quality, not just cost.
At Forster Group, our own standards framework and plot‑pack approach are designed to ensure consistency, clarity and right‑first‑time delivery. But this is not just about one company’s methods. It is about a sector‑wide shift in mindset: scale without standards is not scale at all.
The third pillar of sustainable scale is innovation. We cannot meet 2026’s demands with 2016’s methods. Digital tools, automated processes and off‑site manufacturing are no longer emerging technologies, they are essential enablers of capacity.
Encouragingly, Innovate UK’s new funding line for pre‑commercialisation projects signals a recognition that innovation must be supported not just at the prototype stage, but at the point where it can be deployed at scale. For SMEs in construction and energy, this support is vital. Innovation only delivers impact when it reaches the market.
If there is one message the industry must embrace in 2026, it is this: we cannot scale by doing what we have always done. Sustainable scale requires us to think differently about skills, standards and solutions and to recognise that these are not separate challenges but interconnected parts of the same system.
Scotland has the opportunity to lead the way. But leadership will depend on our willingness to build capacity that is not only bigger, but better.
Featured in Scottish Construction Now
Ramsay Ladders, the long-established family-run manufacturer based in Forfar, has taken a major step in future-proofing its operations with the installation of a solar PV system delivered by Forster Group.
The project forms part of the company’s long-term plans to reduce its carbon footprint, strengthen energy resilience and support the continued modernisation of its manufacturing facilities.
Founded in 1771, Ramsay Ladders has evolved from producing weavers’ reeds and combs for local factories to becoming one of the UK’s most trusted suppliers of ladders, steps and bespoke access solutions. Today, most of its products are manufactured on-site by a highly skilled workforce, serving a wide range of industries that all share a common challenge: safe and reliable access for working at height.
Matthew Lowson, finance manager at Ramsay Ladders, said: “We’ve been focusing on modernising our business over the last few years, making our operations more efficient while also future-proofing our factory for the next stage of growth.
“The introduction of new technology, such as our Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining centre in 2021, has significantly increased our energy demands. With further machinery upgrades planned over the next five years, we recognised the need to invest in a more sustainable and cost-efficient energy solution.”
The newly installed 36 kWp rooftop Solar PV system comprises high-efficiency panels designed to reduce operational costs and carbon emissions. It is projected to generate approximately 29,450 kWh of clean energy annually, with estimated first-year CO₂ savings of 5,890 kg, and with the system expected to pay for itself within seven years, all future electricity generated will enable the business to benefit from free, clean energy for the remainder of the systems lifetime.
The installation was supported via the Angus Innovation and Growth Business Grant, funded by the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.
The Solar PV system was installed by Forster Group, Scotland’s largest integrated roofing and solar provider, recognised for its extensive experience across agricultural, commercial and public-sector projects. Ramsay Ladders praised the team for delivering a smooth and efficient installation process.
Matthew continued: “Our preference was always to find a local partner for this project, and we would give Forster five stars from the word go. We worked closely with the team to carefully plan the installation, making sure it had as little impact on our manufacturing operations as possible.
“The team worked extremely hard to come up with effective solutions. Scaffolding was positioned to keep materials flowing in and out of storage, and the only period of electrical downtime was scheduled during the factory lunch break.
“We would not hesitate to recommend Forster Group to anyone considering a Solar PV installation. The team has been knowledgeable, efficient and reliable throughout. We were blown away by the fast turnaround once the project was approved and further impressed by how smoothly the installation was delivered. The whole team has been a credit to Forster Group.”
Looking ahead, the new Solar PV system is expected to support long-term business growth by reducing operational costs and strengthening energy resilience, while also contributing to Ramsay Ladders’ carbon-reduction goals.
John Forster, chair and founder of Forster Group, added: “The benefits of integrating solar energy into businesses go well beyond cost savings. It’s a crucial step toward long-term sustainability and resilience.
“In today’s world of increasingly unpredictable energy markets, Scotland’s business community has a real opportunity to lead the way in decentralised, sustainable energy generation. Technology is no longer the limiting factor; the challenge now lies in improving awareness, easing grid access and ensuring consistent policy support.”
Thank you to Barratt Homes Scotland West for hosting today's demonstration, joined by NHBC.
Meeting the challenge of the evolving roofing industry requires solutions that look beyond traditional delivery. At Forster Group, our significant investments have integrated skills, automation, digital tools, and innovative processes. Over the past three years, these approaches have been used to deliver more than 600 roofs in a uniquely transformational way, improving efficiency, safety and wellbeing, and reducing waste across each project.
Today we got to show people what that looks like in practice - our digital, off-site automated solution for pre-cutting roof tiles. A stepped change in productivity, high levels of precision, and a process that's completely dust-free and waste-free.
We believe this is a genuine leap forward. Seeing the demonstration in front of industry leaders reinforces that this is not just an innovation for Forster Group, but a step forward for the wider industry.
This is the future of roofing, and we're building it now.
Priorletham Farm
Nestled in the heart of St Andrews' stunning countryside, the Coach Houses are a collection of luxury self-catering lodges offering a peaceful rural retreat. Alongside its high-end holiday accommodation, St Andrews Coach Houses are based on a fully operational farm, Priorletham Farm, that the Picken family has managed for the last century.
“As a family-run business with strong farming roots, we’ve always been very conscious of our environmental impact. Like many others, we’ve seen energy costs rise.
Our goal when installing the solar panels was twofold: to reduce our reliance on the national grid and to provide our guests with an experience that truly reflects our eco-conscious values.”
- Claire Picken
Managing high energy demand across both the working farm and luxury lodges
Rising electricity costs putting pressure on long-term sustainability
A commitment to reducing carbon emissions and protecting the environment
To help the Picken family overcome these challenges, Forster Group designed and delivered a sustainable, long-term energy solution. Our team designed a 37.38kwp ground-mounted solar system, tailored to both the business and farms energy needs.
Enabled long-term carbon reduction and operational savings to support sustainable growth
“We had a great experience working with Forster Group. They were professional, informative and flexible, which was essential for balancing a major installation with the day-to-day running of a working farm and luxury retreat."
-Claire Picken
38, 200 kWh
Since installation, the system is now generating a significant portion of both the farm operations and guest lodges energy needs, helping the Picken family increase their energy independence.
16 tonnes
Now the Pickens family are producing clean energy on-site, they are preventing over 16 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year.
£324, 000
As well as strengthening environmental and operational resilience, the system is predicted to help save the business over £324, 000, ensuring greater control over company expenses.
Featured in Project Scotland
Scotland’s construction sector is facing mounting pressure from well documented skills shortages and an ageing workforce. Forster Group’s average age, which drops even further to 30 in its roofing division, contrasts with nationwide trends showing over a third of construction workers are aged 50 or over and set to retire by 2035.
Forster Group said that by investing in training, development, and clear career pathways through its Forster Skills Academy, the business is successfully bucking the trend.
“I’ve been with Forster Group for seven years now, and I’ve learned a lot in that time,’’ said Ryan O’Rourke (26), a qualified roofer with Forster Group who joined the Skills Academy in 2018. “I’ve had the chance to work on lots of different projects, and I have been given lots of opportunities to develop my skills and learn more about the industry. Forster Group has been a great place for me to start my career.”
Alongside a commitment to nurturing skills, Forster Group added that is focused on providing genuine career progression. Every apprentice receives training in solar PV installation, building skills that are designed to sustain Scotland’s net zero goals and deliver a future ready workforce. To date, the academy has supported over 100 new entrants through accredited programmes, achieving a 95% apprenticeship completion rate.
“We’ve built a team that’s young, skilled and ready to deliver,” said John Forster, chair and founder of Forster Group. “In a sector facing real challenges, our workforce is a signal of what’s possible when you invest in people and plan for the future.”
The company stated that its approach is paying dividends for housebuilders. With over 35 years of experience and a track record of delivering up to one in five roofs for new homes in Scotland, Forster Group said it offers certainty on ‘capacity, quality and reliability backed by a stable, highly skilled team’.
“When housebuilders choose Forster, they’re choosing a partner that’s ready to deliver,” added John Forster. “We provide the confidence that every roof will be completed on time and to the highest standards, with the next generation of talent leading the way.”
With a dedicated aftercare team Forster has been employed to resolve almost 300 remedial roofing projects installed by other contractors on new homes in the past three years alone.
The company is involved in the UKRI-funded AIMCH project, reinforcing its role in advancing on-site digital technologies and off-site automation.
“We’re proud to be part of the solution, not just to the skills gap, but to the housing and energy challenges Scotland faces,” said Lindsay Kemp, Skills Academy trainer and Scotland’s Apprentice Trainer of the Year 2022. “Our young team is building homes, building careers and building a better, healthier future for themselves and their families.”
Featured in Scottish Business News
As Scotland’s construction sector faces mounting pressure from skills shortages and an ageing workforce, one company is proving that the future is already here and ready to build.
Forster Group, Scotland’s leading provider of integrated roofing, solar and battery storage solutions, has revealed that its workforce has an average age of 34, dropping further to 30 in its roofing division. The figure, drawn from internal research, contrasts sharply with nationwide trends showing over one-third of construction workers are aged 50 or over and set to retire by 2035.
By investing in training, development and clear career pathways through its Forster Skills Academy, established in 2015, Forster Group is successfully bucking the trend. Attracting, training and retaining young talent at a time when much of the sector is struggling to do so.
“I’ve been with Forster Group for seven years now, and I’ve learned a lot in that time,’’ said Ryan O’Rourke, 26, a qualified roofer with Forster Group who joined the Skills Academy in 2018.
“I’ve had the chance to work on lots of different projects, and I have been given lots of opportunities to develop my skills and learn more about the industry.’’ Ryan continued: “Forster Group has been a great place for me to start my career.’’
Alongside this long-term commitment to nurturing skills, is a focus on providing genuine career progression. Every Forster apprentice receives expert training in solar PV installation, building skills that sustain both Scotland’s net zero goals and a resilient, future ready workforce. To date, the Academy has supported over 100 new entrants through accredited programmes, achieving a 95% apprenticeship completion rate – well above the industry average.
“We’ve built a team that’s young, skilled and ready to deliver,” said John Forster, Chair and Founder of Forster Group. “In a sector facing real challenges, our workforce is a signal of what’s possible when you invest in people and plan for the future.”
The company’s approach is already paying dividends for housebuilders. With over 35 years of experience and a track record of delivering up to one in five roofs for new homes in Scotland, Forster Group offers certainty on capacity, quality and reliability backed by a stable, highly skilled team.
“When housebuilders choose Forster, they’re choosing a partner that’s ready to deliver,” added John Forster. “We provide the confidence that every roof will be completed on time and to the highest standards, with the next generation of talent leading the way.”
That confidence is underpinned by rigorous standards and a proactive service model that is often absent within the wider industry. With a dedicated aftercare team Forster has been employed to resolve almost 300 remedial roofing projects installed by other contractors on new homes in the past three years alone.
Featured in The Herald
The UK’s energy transition is in a precarious position and investors know it.
Seagreen, Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm, was recently revealed to have been paid to switch off more than 70% of the time. In the last financial year, £2.7 billion in constraint payments were made by the national grid, money paid to generators not to generate. Why? Because we lack the infrastructure to move and store clean energy.
This isn’t just an engineering oversight. It’s a strategic failure and it's costing investor confidence, clean energy and momentum towards net zero.
At the centre of the issue is storage. The grid is fundamentally unbalanced and heavily reliant on wind without the flexibility to capture and shift energy when it’s not needed. That’s why batteries – at domestic and industrial scale – must sit at the heart of UK energy policy and infrastructure planning. But they don’t.
The Government’s new Industrial Strategy highlights this disconnect. It promises cheaper energy for 7,000 businesses but lacks a serious plan for infrastructure. It fails to link growing solar and battery retrofitting to the Future Homes Standard or map out evolving Scottish Home Standards. It promises, but it doesn’t plan.
Energy storage isn’t optional, it’s essential. After more than 30 years in roofing and renewables, I’ve seen how solar can transform how homes, farms and businesses use energy. Everyone should be able to generate, store, sell and buy energy at the right time and at the right price.
Yet homes are still built like this future doesn’t exist. Why aren’t we mandating cabling for EVs, solar PV and battery-ready infrastructure in new homes, knowing they’ll last over 50 years? A decade on from the founding of Solar Energy Scotland, we still have no national solar strategy. We are falling behind Europe and it shows.
Other countries are acting. The EU is considering restricting cross-border energy sales to keep its grid balanced. Scotland hosts most of the UK’s proposed pumped hydro sites, yet none are under construction. The opportunity is there; we just lack joined-up thinking.
Instead of storing surplus energy, we pay wind farms to shut down. We could be pumping it into batteries, feeding it into hydro schemes and enabling local users to consume it when demand is high. The technology exists. What’s missing is policy alignment and investment certainty.
And investors are noticing. The lukewarm response to the Crown Estate’s seabed leasing round off Cornwall is a clear signal that confidence is slipping. Investment requires clarity, consistency and cohesion, not contradiction.
Solar, by contrast, is ready. It’s fast to install, cost-effective and, when combined with batteries, is a reliable source of local clean power. For many farms and homeowners, solar is a crop they can grow, store and sell. But the system puts up barriers where there should be incentives.
The shift from fossil fuels was always inevitable. But without storage, without integration and without a proper plan, it won’t be affordable or investable.
If we’re serious about a clean, balanced energy future, we must stop treating storage as an afterthought. Without it, there is no strategy.
Featured in The Scottish Farmer
Humbie Farm is a vast 120-acre arable farm situated in the picturesque West Lothian countryside. The farm partnered with Forster Group in 2023 to install a 72.72kWp ground-mounted solar PV system, combined with 146nr JA Solar 505Wp modules and a 1nr Fronius Tauro Inverter.
Since the installation, Humbie Farm has significantly reduced its dependency on the national grid, successfully bucking the trend of soaring energy prices. The farm has even been able to turn sunny days into profit by selling excess energy back to the grid.
Why Solar?
While Humbie Farm primarily focuses on arable farming, the energy demands of the farmhouse are considerable due to the use of an electric ground source heat pump, an AGA cooker and two electric vehicles. Frustrated by the rising energy costs in the UK and concerned about long-term market volatility, farm owner Andrew Bayne-Jardine decided it was time to take control of the situation.
“Solar was something we’d been thinking about for a while,” Andrew said. “But the spiralling costs of electricity were the final push. I couldn’t see prices falling anytime soon, and solar offered a practical, sustainable solution.”
Installing solar panels allowed the farm to dramatically cut energy costs, reduce its reliance on the national grid and generate clean, renewable energy on-site. With the added benefit of selling excess energy back to the grid, the system also created an opportunity for long-term financial return.
Installation
Andrew approached Forster Group for expert advice, and the process quickly moved from concept to installation.
“From day one, the Forster Group team were friendly, professional and enthusiastic,”
Andrew noted. “Despite our rural location and how exposed we are to the elements, they delivered a robust solution tailored to our environment.”
The solar frames were drilled deep into the ground and built to last. That resilience was tested earlier this year when 100mph winds battered the region. Thanks to the high-quality materials and meticulous construction, the panels remained completely intact - a testament to the system’s durability.
Impact
Since installation, the results have exceeded expectations. The system is outperforming projections, and Andrew has secured a favourable contract for exporting excess power. The energy generated comfortably covers the household’s spring and summer demand, with surplus credit offsetting lower output in the winter months.
Thanks to the size of the installation at Humbie Farm, the system has the potential to generate up to £12,000 per year in income from selling electricity back to the grid.
“We’ve only had a couple of small electricity bills during winter,” Andrew shared. “I used to worry about our energy bills constantly - now I have another reason to celebrate when the sun shines on Humbie Farm. It’s effortless income.”
Andrew is already expanding the system’s functionality. An immersion rod has been added to direct surplus energy to the water buffer tank, reducing the reliance on the ageing heat pump. He’s also exploring battery storage options and emerging vehicle-to-house technology to move toward potential off-grid capability.
“If prices stay high, I’m ready to invest in a second system to power another steading and a biomass heating network,” he said. “The technology’s evolving fast, and I want the farm to stay ahead.”
“Solar is so much more affordable now than it was a decade ago,” Andrew concluded. “The payback time is reasonable, and with the right guidance, like I had from Forster, the installation is seamless. If you’ve got the roof space or land, it’s a no-brainer.”
Featured in The Scotsman
The Spanish blackout shows what can happen when building critical infrastucture is neglected, writes John Forster
It's been nearly two weeks since Spain’s national grid faltered – plunging parts of the Iberian Peninsula into chaos and dragging Portugal with it. The initial response, as ever, was to look for someone to blame. Hackers? Foreign powers? But there was no hostile actor behind the failure. This was a system buckling under the strain of its own transition.
It’s a stark reminder: as we rush to decarbonise, the energy transition is becoming increasingly stretched – and under strain is when things break.Since that incident, the headlines have kept coming. Just last week, Drax announced it was pausing the long-anticipated expansion of its hydroelectric site at Ben Cruachan in Argyll, citing uncertainty around government support. Around the same time, Ørsted confirmed it would shelve a major phase of its Hornsea offshore wind development. Both projects would have provided exactly the kind of clean, flexible power we need to replace fossil fuels and stabilise the grid.
Yet while critical infrastructure is being mothballed, the pressure on the grid is only growing. In recent days, the Scottish National Investment Bank confirmed it will lend £600 million to ScottishPower to upgrade connections between Scotland and England – an overdue investment to enable large-scale power movement across the UK. That’s welcome news, and a sign that we’re finally starting to address one of the key weaknesses exposed by events in Spain: the ability to move energy quickly and reliably to where it’s needed most.
But these contradictions – progress in one area, stalling in another – are what make this transition so precarious. We are adding renewables rapidly, but not always with the supporting storage or network infrastructure in place. When the wind doesn’t blow or the sun doesn’t shine, we fall back on an increasingly thin safety net.
I’ve worked in the roofing and renewables sector for over 30 years, and the last 14 at the intersection of solar and battery storage. I’ve long believed that storage – both fast-responding systems like lithium-ion batteries and long-duration solutions like pumped hydro – is the missing link in our energy future. Events like the Iberian blackout only strengthens that view.
pain’s grid collapsed because of a sudden shortfall in renewable generation and a lack of flexibility to compensate. It wasn’t a cyberattack, or extreme weather. It was a foreseeable result of ambition not matched by resilience. Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, has promised it won’t happen again and that it won’t diminish the country’s commitment to renewable energy. But with major projects being put on pause across Europe, can we really be confident?
Closer to home, the irony is that Scotland already hosts nine of the UK’s 11 proposed pumped hydro sites – proven infrastructure that could play a central role in balancing our grid. Yet none are under construction. The case for pumped storage is overwhelming, but progress is slow. Market frameworks haven’t caught up. And while policymakers debate, investment is hesitating.
At the other end of the scale, we’re seeing farmers, landowners and businesses across Scotland installing solar and battery storage systems – not just to cut costs, but to take control of their energy futures, while contributing to ours.
The question we should all be asking is: what will this uncertainty do to energy prices? For households and businesses alike, volatility is the enemy – and without a stable, well-integrated system behind our net zero ambitions, we risk more than just blackouts. We risk public confidence.
The energy transition isn’t just a matter of replacing coal with solar or wind. It’s a wholesale redesign of how we produce, store, move and use energy. That’s a complex process – and it’s one we need to get right.
Because if Spain was a warning, the question is not whether it could happen here. It’s whether we’ll be ready when it does.
Featured in Energy Voice
Just over a week ago, Spain’s electricity grid faltered. Portugal quickly followed. In the media, speculation swirled: Was it a cyber attack? Sabotage? Hackers?
No. Investigations continue, yet the truth looks simpler and far more worrying: this was a failure of energy planning.
The power outage that took down two national grids wasn’t caused by some hostile force – it was caused by a sudden drop in renewable energy output and a failure to back it up with sufficient storage. This wasn’t a freak event. It was entirely foreseeable. And unless Scotland, and the wider UK, get serious about balancing its own energy system, we’re next.
I’ve spent over 30 years in the roofing and renewable energy sector, and I’ve never seen a more urgent need for honest, practical thinking about our energy future. We’re electrifying more of our economy – transport, homes, industry. But we’re not updating our energy infrastructure with the same urgency or realism.
The fundamental truth is this: renewables are intermittent, and we ignore that at our peril. When the sun disappears behind the clouds, solar output drops in seconds. When the wind dies down – as it often does during periods of high pressure – turbines stop turning.
In Spain, this happened in real time, and without a balanced backup in place, the system couldn’t cope. The frequency of the grid dipped below its 50 Hz threshold, and everything dropped or stopped.
This concept – grid frequency and system “balance” – may sound technical, but it’s absolutely central to keeping the lights on. It’s not enough to simply generate clean electricity. We must balance the generating technologies we deploy, and we need to balance generation with storage. Without this, the more we depend on renewables, the more fragile our system becomes.
Pumped hydro
In Scotland, we’re at a crossroads. We’re rich in wind and increasingly rich in solar. But our national approach lacks depth. We’ve been piling investment into wind power without complementing it with enough solar or sufficient storage. It’s like baking a cake and forgetting the eggs – you’re not going to like the result.
Thankfully, the solutions already exist. Battery storage, for one, is fast and flexible, and it can be deployed for homes and industry to make energy more affordable, and at grid scale. It’s a critical piece of the puzzle. But for truly seasonal storage – the ability to save vast amounts of power from windy or sunny days and release it during darker, calmer periods – pumped hydro is unmatched.
Scotland is uniquely placed here. Of the 11 pumped hydro projects in development across the UK, nine are in Scotland. Sites like Cruachan and Loch Ness could become the backbone of our energy resilience – storing clean energy when there’s too much and releasing it when we need it most.
But let’s be clear: none of these projects are under construction. They’re stuck in planning, in policy review, in bureaucratic inertia. And all the while, our national base load is shrinking – coal gone, nuclear retiring, gas under pressure. Without new thinking and faster action, we are literally risking blackout.
We’ve already had some close calls. In 2022, during a 34°C heatwave in southern UK, demand surged, wind speed dropped, and we came within a whisker of a system failure. The UK had to import electricity at almost £10 per kilowatt hour to keep the grid running. That’s not a strategy.
Spain’s blackout wasn’t a cyber-attack. It was a preview. And if we don’t get our energy mix right – with proper storage, grid investment and a smart balance between wind and solar – we’ll be next on the front pages.
Scotland has the tools, the geography and the engineering know-how. What we need now is political will, joined-up thinking and a proper recipe for energy security in a renewable future.
This isn’t simply about keeping the lights on. It’s about building a nation that’s ready for the future – and resilient enough to power through it.
Featured in Project Scotland
John Forster, chair of Forster Group, believes the renewable energy sector, particularly solar and battery storage, is poised for significant growth.
The closure of the UK’s last coal-fired power station in September 2024 marked a pivotal shift towards cleaner energy. The Labour government’s move to nationalise the National Grid as the National Energy Systems Operator (NESO) is a crucial step in prioritising renewable energy. We foresee a rise in smart energy systems, integrating large-scale and microgeneration of solar power with advanced storage solutions. This transition is vital for meeting climate targets and ensuring energy security.
“The built environment faces challenges in retrofitting and constructing energy-efficient homes, compounded by skills shortages and high costs. Collaboration between national and devolved governments is therefore essential. At Forster Group, we are dedicated to leading this transition, providing integrated solutions that support a sustainable and resilient future.
In September the UK’s last coal-fired power station, near Nottingham, was closed after more than 140 years, marking a significant moment in our energy history. Coal, which once powered our factories, homes and transport, has been the bedrock of our industrial growth and modern economy. Now, with this milestone, we can confidently say that we no longer need coal to fuel our society. However, as we move away from this historically dominant and dirty energy source, we face both challenges and opportunities that will shape the future of energy in the UK.
The incoming Labour government, in a move spearheaded by the new Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, has already signalled an ambitious move with its decision to nationalise the National Grid and rebrand it as the National Energy Systems Operator (NESO). In theory, this could unlock key barriers that have historically stymied the development and adoption of renewable energy. By taking control of the energy system at a national level, the government can take a more holistic approach to grid management, removing constraints that previously favoured fossil fuel-based energy. The grid, now owned by the people, can be redesigned to prioritise clean energy sources such as solar, wind and hydro.
One of the key changes we are seeing is the transition to smart energy systems. The old reliance on coal and gas provided a simplistic, if dirty, solution to energy shortages: burn more fossil fuels. But this approach is no longer viable. The need to balance energy generation, particularly from renewables, has created volatility in the energy market which directly influences wholesale energy prices and, in turn, drives up costs for consumers.
John Forster, chair of Forster Group, said the UK remains at a ‘critical point’ on its path to achieve net zero and he wants to see politicians engage meaningfully with the right people so they can implement policies which will make a difference now.
“Scotland and the wider UK’s failure to meet targets has been well documented. However, echoing recent remarks made by IEA, renewable energy goals, while ambitious, are achievable but only if governments act. UK policymaking for the transition to renewable energy is still dangerously inadequate to address the ever-growing issues and the right experts and organisations still don’t have a seat at the table.”
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