Scottish Government announces community renewables funding package

The Scottish Government has announced that 23 communities are to benefit from a £500,000 community renewables funding package.

Intended to encourage the use and local ownership of renewable energy across Scotland, the package marks the second allocation made from the Local Energy Challenge Fund and is indicative of the Scottish Government’s ongoing commitment to renewables and low carbon development.

The 23 projects include UrbanLink – an Edinburgh initiative to identify opportunities for the installation of energy efficient hardware in 1,000 households – and Heat from the Street, which will employ heat pump and solar pump technology to capture heat from the Linlithgow’s wastewater system and distribute it throughout the town centre.

Each project has received initial funding of up to £25,000 for a feasibility study and, if successful, applicants may be able to compete for significant capital support.

The funding follows Energy Minister Fergus Ewing’s earlier announcement that Scotland’s community and locally owned energy capacity could generate enough electricity to power an approximate 100,000 domestic households.

Mr Ewing said: “The Scottish Government is defining a distinctive approach to Scotland’s future energy provision; putting communities at the heart of decisions about their local energy system; and empowering them to take an economic stake in new developments.

“Community ownership gives communities more control over their own energy and will help us tackle challenges like grid constraints and fuel poverty – while at the same time sparking economic revival.

“Onshore wind is our most successful technology for community benefits, but it is by no means the only game in town. I am excited by the breadth and depth of the work this funding will support and am equally pleased that the projects will explore the potential for ownership of renewable technologies to support all of the communities in Scotland, be they in Gala or Glasgow.”

Laura Campbell, Challenge Fund Project Manager, said: “Local Energy Scotland is delighted to be able to provide support through the Local Energy Challenge Fund to these 23 innovative and aspirational projects. We are looking forward to working with the projects over the next year to develop their proposals further. It’s exciting to think that these projects have the potential shape the future of Scotland’s local energy economies and act as demonstrators for other communities.”

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