Keith Greener Grid Park awards first community grants

Community projects in Keith have been awarded funding to help them become more energy efficient, thanks to a Community Benefit Fund from Statkraft, Europe's largest generator of renewable energy.

Keith Greener Grid Park, developed and operated by renewable energy company Statkraft, delivers funding of £20,000 each year, for the lifetime of the site. Greener Grid Parks are pioneering projects, which increase the stability of the electricity grid, and allow more renewable energy to be transmitted through the network. 

Activities that could be considered for grants could include energy efficiency audits of community buildings, educational activities, training for voluntary groups in reducing their own carbon footprints, and EV charging points. 

The successful projects, benefitting from the first awards since the scheme was established, are Keith and District Men’s Shed, which was awarded a grant to support the purchase of a new solar panel and battery storage, and Longmore Community Hall in Keith, which has received funding toward the replacement of emergency lighting throughout the hall. 

Guy Nicholson, Statkraft’s Head of Greener Grid Parks said: “Being a good neighbour is a strong part of Statkraft’s ethos as a renewable energy company. That’s why I’m delighted that the community fund associated with our innovative Keith Greener Grid Park has made its first awards. It’s only right that as well as bringing wider benefits, like a stable electricity system, and allowing more renewables to be connected to the national grid, our projects benefit local people too.”