THE project to revitalise the Old School at Knock on the Isle of Lewis has received renewable energy industry recognition for its positive impact winning Best Community Project at the 2022 Scottish Green Energy Awards.
The former school was purchased by volunteer group Urras Stòras An Rubha in 2015 and the plan to give the building a new lease of life was realised in September when it reopened as Aros An Rubha. The volunteer committee behind the project were committed to two project goals, bringing the building up to date with extensive renovation works and incorporating renewable energy to provide the majority of its power.
Community consultation and national targets both favoured the incorporation of renewable energy and the community hub is run from a virtual off-grid “islanded” system which uses the grid only as a backup. Taken as a whole, the project is a demonstration of what mixed energy sources can achieve; smart management of energy, solar panels, air source heat pump and insulation have radically reduced dependence on the grid. The award category was for a project that showed the outstanding development of a renewable energy project which has been led by a community group or community organisation. Scottish Power Renewables sponsored the community award and Joe Mitchell presented the award to Catriona and Mike Dunn representing Urras Stòras An Rubha at the Award ceremony in Edinburgh on the 1st of December.
Urras Stòras An Rubha Secretary, Catriona Dunn said of the announcement, “We are delighted to have won this award, against strong competition. We are grateful to all who have been with us on the journey, giving of their time, skills, support and funding, and sharing our vision of transforming the old school building into an energy-efficient and vibrant community hub.”.
Nick Sharpe, Director of Communications and Strategy at Scottish Renewables added, “In an extremely competitive category, Aros An Rubha was a well-deserved winner of the ‘Best Community Project’ award at this year’s Scottish Green Energy Awards. Our panel of judges were really impressed with how the project uses a mix of renewable energy sources to radically reduce dependence on the grid at a time when energy prices are at an all-time high. Congratulations to everyone at Aros An Rubha on its award win.”
The community hub is home to a shop and café, dedicated museum & exhibition space for Comann Eachdraidh An Rubha, archive & storage facilities for community paper the Rudhach, a meeting room and hotdesking facilities. The building also houses the offices of charity wind farm group Point and Sandwick Trust (PST) who have been strong supporters of the project vision for renewable energy at the site.
Funding for the project came from several sources including a grant of £101,891 and loan of £83,761 from the Scottish Government’s CARES scheme and support from PST, the Scottish Government Regeneration Fund, HIE, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Crown Estate Fund, the Scottish Landfill Fund and Centrica’s Energy for Tomorrow programme. Fund raising in the community also contributed just over £29,000 to the renovation project. The Annual Scottish Green Energy Awards are organised by Scottish Renewables, the renewable energy association for Scotland. Design of the project was conducted by local business GreenSpaceLive and O’Mac Construction completed the renovation works. Donna Smith from Tighean Innse Gall project managed the entire build and along with PST Community Consultant Alasdair Nicholson, she supported numerous funding applications to bring the project to fruition.
