SOSE welcomes major new energy investment as Dumfries factory set to create 700 jobs
We are delighted to have played a key role in bringing Kight PowerHub to Dumfries, which will create up to 700 skilled jobs in the region.
The move means the South of Scotland is set to become home to the UK’s most advanced home battery assembly plant, delivering world first energy storage technology with pilot installations in social housing already delivering life-changing results for tenants.
Over the last three years, we have worked closely with Kight founder, Lawrence Fagg, in collaboration with local registered social landlords to develop a product specifically for social housing, shaped by the real needs of tenants and housing providers.
Working In Partnership
The PowerHub is designed to reduce electricity bills by an average of 75%, with potential savings of up to 85% for some, depending on how much electricity they currently use.
We have supported the development of the PowerHub with a £233,000 grant towards the development costs of this innovative new technology, enabling installations across 11 homes in partnership with five Registered Social Landlords in the South of Scotland.
The project is initially focussed on the social housing sector due to its potential to scale quickly and deliver meaningful benefits to tenants affected by rising energy costs.
For residents, the impact has been immediate. Muriel Allison from Galashiels, who once wrapped herself in blankets to stay warm, said the system has made a significant difference to her daily life.
Jan Davies, a mother-of-two from Skirling, had faced electricity bills close to the cost of her rent, and has also seen her costs dramatically reduced.
What is the PowerHub?
The world-leading non-lithium battery chemistry within the system ensures PowerHub can also deliver significant safety and durability advantages.
These include a zero-fire risk, vital for use in domestic settings and a much longer operational lifespan than those currently available, with a 25-year warranty, making it a safer and more sustainable solution for long-term energy storage.
The technology is the result of five years of research and development, including three years of collaboration between SOSE, the local RSLs and Kight PowerHub.
Drawing on their founders Formula One engineering expertise, the system aims to be ultra-safe, long-lasting, and highly efficient.
Russel Griggs, Chair of South of Scotland Enterprise said:
"The South of Scotland has always had the talent, the ambition, and the industrial heritage to compete at the highest level.
“What Kight PowerHub has built is not just a remarkable product, it is a world-first technology, developed here, being manufactured here, and addressing one of the most pressing challenges facing our communities: the cost of keeping a home warm, comfortable and usable in the face of rising energy costs.
“The fact that it also helps Scotland make the most of its extraordinary renewable energy resources means its impact will be felt far beyond our borders.
“This is exactly why SOSE exists.”
Welcoming the investment, First Minister John Swinney – who paid a visit to the site on Wednesday 18 March - said:
“It is very welcome that this facility will create more than 700 highly-skilled jobs in Dumfries, and a further 2,000 across the supply chain.
"That is a significant, long-term investment in the South of Scotland but the benefits go beyond employment.
“Kight has worked with South of Scotland Enterprise to pilot this battery technology in local social housing, which means people will see their homes become warmer, more energy efficient and more affordable to heat. That will help to save people money.
“Battery technology like this is central to securing Scotland’s energy future - it helps store clean power, reduces our dependence on volatile fossil fuel markets, and supports the transition to Net Zero in a way that genuinely includes communities rather than leaving them behind.”
Lawrence Fagg, founder of Kight, added:
“SOSE’s support has been invaluable.
“From the outset SOSE helped Kight understand the market making opportunity and helped bring together the key partners including the RSL’s.
“This support has enabled the Kight PowerHub to be developed significantly faster than would have otherwise happened and we look forward to a continued relationship with SOSE as we scale up this world leading product.
“Seeing the difference the PowerHub makes in people’s everyday lives is exactly why we built this company.
“When a tenant tells us they can now freely turn on their heating, cook a hot meal or work from home without dreading the next electricity bill, that is the true measure of what we have achieved.
“Our pilot installations in 2025 showed not only meaningful CO₂ savings and lower bills, but a genuine improvement in quality of life, warmth, dignity, and the freedom to live normally.
“That is the change we are here to make, and Dumfries is where we will scale it.
“Building our assembly plant here, in the South of Scotland, means the region that inspired this technology will now lead its manufacture and help deliver it to social housing tenants across the country.”