The spòrsnis community facility at Lionel is to receive a grant of £42,000 for solar panels to reduce the running costs of the proposed £1.8M building.
Brian Wilson, the former Energy Minister who resigned recently, announced last week that the project was one of 21 throughout the UK to share £2m for new renewable energy features.
Mr Wilson said:
“Solar power is an increasingly important part of the renewable energy revolution. It is a clean and low impact source of energy that is making a valuable contribution to reducing our carbon dioxide emissions.”
The funding is part of the DTI’s £20m Photovoltaic Major Demonstration Programme. Photovoltaic panels contain cells that generate electricity directly from light and can be incorporated into building products for use as roofing or cladding. The units to be installed in the Lionel facility
will be a 10.2kWp monocrystalline photovoltaic system consisting of BP Solar 5170 modules which will be mounted on the roof of the building.
Calum I Macleod, Chairman of the spòrnis project warmly welcomed the announcement and paid tribute to the Solar power lights the way Comhairle’s design team. He said: “This is excellent news and is all down to the hard work and dedication of Donald Macritchie and team working on the energy saving features of the spornis building.” Mr MacLeod said that the project was to go out to tender shortly with a proposed start date in the autumn.
