A Moray community company is in a race against time to get a new solar power scheme in place by New Year’s Day.
Newmill Renewables CiC has installed 48 solar panels on the roof of Newmill Hall, Keith, to bring cheaper electricity to the building.
Planning permission for the project was granted on December 19 but unless the project is installed, commissioned and registered by tomorrow, it will receive less money for producing the electricity.
Rod Lovie, voluntary director of Newmill Renewables said he was “fairly confident” everything would be in order to meet the deadline.
He added: “Our installers, GM Renewables from Forres, have been working over the festive period to try and get the work done before Hogmanay. We are excited in helping to make the village hall more sustainable, greener and cheaper to run.
“The hall user groups have put in a power of work this year improving the hall and providing a resource for the village. In a year which has seen concern over the future of the school and hall, the solar panels are a great way to end the year and are an investment for the future.
Newmill Renewables CiC is a community interest company which runs the biomass boiler to heat Newmill Hall and Primary School.
During the recent consultation over possible rural school closures in Moray, the company highlighted the role of sustainable village facilities and how the school and hall compliment each other.
A recent grant from the Hill of Towie Windfarm Community Fund was enough to complete the funding for the solar panel project.
The good weather over the past two weeks has made it likely that the works will be completed before the deadline, after which the Government’s feed-in-tariff is due to be reduced.