Aviva said on Monday that with support from the Scottish Government it has launched one of the UK’s largest combined solar carports and energy storage facilities at its Perth office. 

Aviva employs 2,000 people in Scotland, with around 1,000 based in its Perth office, which hosts its property claims centre for both commercial and personal property.

The facility covers 342 carpark spaces and provides 50 electric vehicle charging stations.

“This investment comes as YouGov research finds that 65% of people living in Scotland don’t think businesses are doing enough to help tackle climate change, but 64% would look more favourably on those businesses investing to prevent further climate change,” said Aviva.

“Aviva’s facility will be powered by cutting-edge Tesla Powerpack technology and is expected to contribute to a combined annual carbon emission saving of nearly 400 tonnes, equivalent to powering over 500 homes’ electricity for one year or the equivalent of a small town.

“It means Aviva’s Perth office can go off grid for five hours every day when the national grid is at its busiest, [using three quarters of the solar power generated].

“The surplus energy will go to the battery for later use or exported to the grid.”