- Category
- Scottish specialist land-based
- Location
- Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Ayr, Cupar
- DNO
- SPEN (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Lanarkshire); SSEN (Aberdeen, Highlands)
- Est. PV capacity
- 1.5-2.5 MW
About SRUC (Scotland's Rural College)
Scotland's specialist agricultural and rural enterprise college. HE-in-FE partnership with the University of Glasgow (incorporated 2012). Scottish Government Net Zero 2045 framework with public sector specific intermediate targets.
The estate at SRUC
6 main campuses plus research stations and 6,500 hectares of farmland across Scotland. Major sites: King's Buildings (Edinburgh), Craibstone (Aberdeen), Auchincruive (Ayr), Elmwood (Cupar/Fife), Barony (Dumfries), Oatridge (West Lothian).
From a solar PV perspective this delivers 1.5-2.5 MW across the multi-campus portfolio (highest land-based potential in Scotland). With 480 kW of daytime baseload typical, self-consumption stays around 78% — strong for the sector. The DNO for SRUC is SPEN (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Lanarkshire); SSEN (Aberdeen, Highlands).
Curriculum integration
BSc Agriculture, BSc Equine Business, BTEC Agriculture, T-Level Agriculture, apprenticeships in agricultural engineering. Auchincruive runs Scottish Government Climate Smart Farming research programmes.
Funding stack for SRUC
Public Sector Energy Efficiency Loan (PSEEL) - Scottish equivalent of Salix - + Scottish Government Net Zero Public Sector Capital + SFC Climate Emergency Fund. PSDS Phase 4 still applies to Scottish public sector. Estimated portfolio capex £1.3m-£2.0m.
Detailed funding-route deep-dives:
- Salix Decarbonisation Loan — interest-free up to £600k per project
- PSDS Phase 4 capital grant — 100% grant for bundled bids
- FE Capital Transformation Fund — embedded sustainability in major refurb
- MCA decarbonisation grants — devolved regional funding
- AoC Climate Action Roadmap implementation — board-approved Climate Action Plan compliance pathway
- November 2022 ONS reclassification — the November 2022 policy change that unlocked Salix + PSDS for FE
- Interactive payback model — model the specific SRUC (Scotland scenario
Estimated economics
For a 2000 kW programme at SRUC, modelled economics assuming standard portfolio-scale unit cost (£800/kW installed at this scale):
- Capital cost: approximately £1,600,000
- Annual generation: approximately 2,355,200 kWh
- Annual energy savings: approximately £500,715 (at typical FE blended tariff)
- Salix-funded payback: approximately 3.2 years
- 25-year nominal benefit: approximately £10,917,875
These are scoping figures — a precise feasibility report requires 12 months of SRUC's half-hourly meter data. See our interactive payback calculator to adjust the assumptions for your specific scenario.