Hydropower has been a source of electricity generation since the late 19th century. The first hydroelectric system in the world was built in the UK in Northumberland, England, in 1878 and was used to power a single lamp. The UK currently has over 1,600 hydropower plants with over 80 in Scotland.
In 2025 the Earba Pumped Storage Hydro (PSH) Project was granted planning consent and will be built in the Scottish Highlands, at Loch na h-Earba on the Ardverikie Estate. When construction is completed in 6-7 years the project will store up to 40,000MWh of energy which will make it the largest such scheme in the UK in terms of energy stored.
Currently in Scotland 10% to 15% of renewable energy is provided through hydropower in Scotland. Three of the main types are:
Impoundment Facilities which capture the energy from flowing water through a man-made installation called a dam. Water in reservoirs is held at a high level and released down through a tunnel building up speed before its kinetic energy is captured through turbines at the bottom rotating at high speed due to the force of the water and this is converted into mechanical energy and then into electrical energy.
Diversion (also known as a Run-of-river) uses the natural flow of a river, lake or dammed reservoir to improve the flow of the water through a series of canals channelling the water towards a turbine plant where the kinetic energy is converted to electric.
Pumped Storage Facilities use energy produced from renewable sources such as wind or solar power to assist in pumping water uphill from a reservoir at a lower elevation to a second reservoir located at a higher elevation. The water at the higher reservoir can then be released at times of high demand back down to the lower reservoir, creating energy through turbines at the lower level similar to the Impoundment system.
Scotland's hydropower is a vital, long-established renewable source, where the focus in recent years has started to shift to large-scale pumped storage, despite some challenges like planning hurdles and punitive rates for small schemes. Hydropower continues to be essential for integrating intermittent renewables into the countries Net Zero goals.
This section provides examples of a research, teaching or innovation taking place at Robert Gordon University related to this topic.
RGU Startup Accelerator: Meet Power To Go Hydro Over five months, startup teams comprising students, staff, and alumni from Robert Gordon University and North East Scotland College had the opportunity to turn their ideas into viable businesses through the RGU Startup Accelerator. Selected teams, with ideas from any industry, received access to seed funding, mentorship, training, incubation space, and more.
The project “Meet Power To Go Hydro” focused on developing an inflatable waterwheel designed to generate clean, accessible, and affordable electricity. The innovation aimed to be cost-effective to manufacture, install, and maintain.
The project was funded by The Wood Foundation and run by RGU's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group.