Communities across Scotland seeking to set up renewable energy
generation projects can bid for support from an £8 million
government fund which has reopened for applications.
The Community Energy Generation Growth Fund supports local
communities to install wind turbines and solar panels or develop
other types of renewable energy generation, such as hydro, to
meet local needs.
Successful applicants will also be able to earn money from their
projects by, for example, allowing them to sell excess energy
generated.
The expanded Scottish Government fund, which includes £4 million
from Great British Energy, is part of the Scottish Government's
Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) and builds on last
year's support.
Since its inception, CARES has advised over 1,300 organisations
and provided over £67 million in funding to communities
throughout Scotland, supporting over 990 projects.
Deputy First Minister is set to announce the
reopening of the fund at the All Energy Scotland conference in
Glasgow this morning (Wednesday).
Speaking ahead of the conference, Ms Forbes said: “Scotland
is fast becoming a global renewable energy powerhouse, and it is
vital that communities share in the benefits from this
transition.
“This funding, for stand-alone generation projects, responds to
the needs of local groups - has the potential to lever in
significant funds for communities. It will also play a key
role in our delivery of a just transition – supporting a greener,
fairer future for Scots.
“It is also welcome that Great British Energy recognise the
valuable role that communities play in our green transition and
have provided support for the fund – helping to significantly
increase the amount of support available to communities – and
providing a catalyst for growth within the community energy
sector.
“We will continue to work with our partners to grow the community
energy sector to ensure that the delivery of renewable energy
comes with benefits for people in Scotland, as well as supporting
progress towards net zero.”
Chris Morris from Local Energy Scotland said: “We're pleased to
be building on the success of last year's Community Energy
Generation Growth Fund pilot to support more Scottish communities
looking to take the next steps in their renewable energy projects
and play an active part in the nation's transition to net zero.
“Scottish communities demonstrated an appetite to develop new
projects during the pilot phase and ideas taken forward include
partnering with local authorities to install solar panels on
schools, getting approvals for new solar farms and building wind
turbines.
We're looking forward to supporting communities and helping even
more of these inspiring projects be realised. For Scottish
communities interested, the Local Energy Scotland team is here to
help with information and case studies.”
Background
More information on how to
apply
