By Scott Wright

MORE than 150 renewable energy projects around the world are to be monitored from the centre of Glasgow.

Renewable energy giant RES has invested more than £400,000 to redesign its control room within broadcaster STV’s building on the banks of the River Clyde.

The facility will be used to oversee renewable developments with a cumulative capacity of more than 2.5 gigawatts, stretching from Neilston near Glasgow to Murra Warra in Australia.

Cloud technology is used at the office to enable remote and on-site monitoring and control information to smooth operations, while providing site access, emergency response and grid-related services.

Chares McLuckie, control centre manager at RES, said: “RES and Scotland have decades of experience in renewable energy and it’s a proud moment that the expertise honed in Glasgow over this time is now being exported across the world 24/7/365.

“With approximately 5,000 calls per month to handle at the centre from right across our international assets, getting the design and layout right was absolutely key to ensuring our projects continue operating safely day and night.”

RES, which has delivered more than 20GW of renewable energy projects in the last 39 years, declared that the control centre is the most advanced of its kind. The recent investment has enabled a host of upgrades to improve functionality, flexibility and the employee experience.

Mr McLuckie added: “The feedback from those who have used the room so far is great – everyone is enjoying the enhanced functionality, logistical layout and the ability to more effectively monitor a greater number of projects.”

Steve Higman, head of operational performance at RES, said: “The energy transition is now in full swing and we approached the design of our control room with this in mind. It had to be cutting edge to cope with the demands of today and the possibilities of tomorrow.”