The new giants of energy in Scotland are building large-scale solutions to storing power.

The push comes as the UK Government announced a new support mechanism expected to help pave the way for new energy projects such as pumped hydropower storage, recapped here in our monthly special.

In a three-part series in October, the business team told how a new hydropower revolution is under way which has the potential to unlock vast energy reserve capacity.

We told that from Hollow Mountain to Red John, their names sound like Netflix spectaculars and they are blockbusters in their own right.

The planned site at Loch NessThe planned site at Loch Ness (Image: ILI Group) The pumped hydro sites that will put Scotland at the forefront of the key future element of energy storage are truly large in scale.

The series also told how the technology works like giant batteries by storing renewable energy and releasing it onto the grid and into homes when needed.

Pumped storage hydro stores electricity by pumping water up a reservoir, to be released later.

The company behind Red John, now known as Loch na Cathrach, at Loch Ness, is one of those creating the next massive energy powerhouse plan at Balliemeanoch at Loch Awe.

The Loch Awe project will be one the biggest in Europe and is currently being considered by the Scottish Government, SSE is testing one at Loch Lochy that would be one of the largest in the UK in the 40-year hiatus it is claimed was caused by a lack of a standard mechanism of support, and the former Red John, which could be ready by 2030, has been sold to European giant Statkraft.

Now a new framework for which the industry has been calling and which aims to assist energy storage projects is unveiled.

One insider reveals in our series a potential for up to eight new sites in Scotland.

Perth-based SSE’s Coire Glas is expected to be complete in 2033.

The Loch Lochy site in the Great Glen could deliver 30 gigawatt hours of long-duration electricity storage, enough to provide power for three million British homes for up to 24 hours.

Balliemeanoch, by Hamilton-based Intelligent Land Investments, will have 35 gigawatt hours of storage for 30 hours of power.

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Yorkshire-based Drax also aims to invest beyond its current output at the famous Hollow Mountain Cruachan Power Station which has a capacity of 440 megawatts and can power a city of 1.4 million for 16 hours, while SSE’s existing Foyers plant has a similar 400 megawatts capacity, with UK’s only two other sites in Wales.

A key part of the story was how an entrepreneur became an overnight millionaire with the sale of a vast energy storage facility plan near a famous Scottish loch.

The Lanarkshire-based businessman has banked a considerable fortune at the age of 50 with the sale of a power plant proposal to Europe's largest generator of renewable energy.

Mark Wilson, chief executive of Intelligent Land Investments, sold the huge consented pumped storage hydropower project, then Red John, after a local lochan to Statkraft.

It changed hands for an undisclosed sum, but an idea of the scale is given in the potential £1 billion cost of building the project.

Also under the spotlight in the series were concerns raised by some communities over the potential cost of net zero progress.

Exploratory work at Coire GlasExploratory work at Coire Glas (Image: SSE) In some cases the dimensions of hydro plants have raised questions, while safety issues around other energy storage forms such as lithium battery parks have also been voiced.

There was also a further concern around the ethical sourcing of materials such as lithium, highlighted by Friends of the Earth Scotland.

Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, told The Herald: “Battery storage is vital for upgrading our energy systems and reducing our climate emissions. Lithium is a key component of these batteries, and mining for lithium is causing serious harm in places like Chile and Australia. The Scottish and UK governments must ensure that the way we are using materials like this is fair to the communities where it is extracted and environmentally sustainable.”

Proponents of the new technologies insist they are safe, and that where there have been community concerns, they have worked to address those issues.

A spokesman for the renewables company ILI Group said:  "While lithium sourcing is indeed a critical issue, it's important to note that this extends beyond just energy storage to all applications using lithium-ion batteries, including electric vehicles and consumer electronics. Many leading battery manufacturers, including those we work with, are actively addressing these concerns through responsible sourcing initiatives, improved traceability, and investments in recycling technologies.”

This article appeared in the Business HQ Monthly supplement.