A GREEN-fingered community group in South Lanarkshire is to embark on a solar energy project after receiving funding from the ScottishPower Green Energy Trust.
Says a spokesperson: “The Organic Growers of Bothwell – a group of residents from the small town committed to developing the local community garden – has received £9,083.00 from the Trust which will cover 50 per cent of the costs for the installation of 21 solar panels for its new organic garden.
“The funds will also be used to produce an on-site visual display area for local primary school children and the wider community, to aid learning about solar energy.
“The installation of the panels is expected to bring a number of key benefits, most notably, lower electricity bills, increased availability of fresh produce grown in the garden’s polytunnels, and a growing awareness of sustainable energy production in the community.”
The ScottishPower Green Energy Trust is an independent charitable trust that supports the development of new renewable energy sources within communities in the UK.
Alison McKean, senior environmental and social policy manager at ScottishPower, said: “The ScottishPower Green Energy Trust is delighted to be able to contribute towards the cost of this worthwhile project, which will have great benefits for the Bothwell community and the surrounding environment.
“It is becoming increasingly important for young people to learn about sustainable energy sources, and this project certainly helps to facilitate this with its visual display area – the more projects that we can help which contain such educational elements the better.”
Sheena Walker, a committee member from the Organic Growers of Bothwell, said: “We feel very privileged to have received this grant from the Green Energy Trust to go towards our project.
“Installing solar photovoltaic panels will be of great benefit in helping us to reduce our carbon emissions and at the same time will raise awareness about climate change issues.”
In addition, the income generated from the feed in tariff will also help to make the project financially self-sustainable.
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