Communities across Scotland are set to benefit from a major boost to renewable energy development, thanks to the re-awarding of Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) contract to a consortium led by Energy Saving Trust.
Over the next four years, CARES will continue to provide vital support to help community initiatives take control of their energy future, driving community-owned projects and ensuring that the transition to net zero brings tangible benefits to local people.
In addition to funding, CARES provides crucial support to communities through every stage of their renewable energy projects from initial planning to final installation. This includes a wide range of online resources and access to free, impartial advice and guidance from local development officers and Local Energy Scotland experts.
Since 2013 Energy Saving Trust has collaborated with consortium partners Changeworks, SCARF, and Energy Agency, leveraging support from delivery partners to implement the scheme. To date, CARES has provided £67 million in funding and advised over 1,200 organisations. The new contract also introduces a new advisory board for CARES, featuring Community Energy Scotland, CEMVO Scotland, Development Trusts Association Scotland and Regen. The advisory board will bring their insight and expertise to CARES, helping to develop the programme, identify new opportunities and maximise the impact for communities across Scotland.
The scheme has already supported community energy projects like Glasgow Community Energy (GCE). In 2020, GCE installed solar panels on Ashton Secondary School and Glendale Primary School in Glasgow and more recently have been supported with £68,850 from the CARES to develop nine new community-owned rooftop solar PV projects. The scheme also supports wind projects, for example Bespoke Community Development Company installed a 900 kW wind turbine near Falkirk. Both projects received CARES funding to transform community ideas into investible projects.
CARES is also available to support smaller community projects, like the Duns swimming pool in Langtongate. The pool’s Trust received a £79,920 CARES grant to install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, and benefitted from support from Local Energy Scotland development officers throughout the application process and right through to the completion of the project. This grant has helped to secure the pool’s future as well as its continued contribution to the community’s health and wellbeing.
Chris Morris, programme manager at Local Energy Scotland said, “CARES can support local communities to drive their own net zero future. We’re proud to partner with the Scottish Government to deliver this program, and alongside our partners and advisory board, we’re ready to support a wide range of new projects. If your community is passionate about local climate action, we encourage you to find out more about CARES and see the transformative impact it can have on your community.”
Laura McGadie, operations director at Energy Saving Trust said, “The CARES scheme is more than just funding, it’s about providing practical support that delivers real results for Scottish communities. We’ve seen firsthand how CARES empowers local groups to develop impactful renewable energy projects, from creating warm, welcoming community spaces to enabling larger communities to manage their own resources and have diverse voices in decision-making.”
Acting Climate Action Minister Alasdair Allan said:
“Communities are at the heart of our renewable energy ambitions and community energy has the potential to play a pivotal role in a just energy transition.
“To date, our Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) has advised over 1200 organisations and provided over £67 million in funding to communities throughout Scotland, supporting over 960 projects.
“That’s why I’m delighted that CARES can continue to provide invaluable advice and funding, for local communities to develop renewable energy, heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency projects for a further four years, until 2029.”
Read more about all the funded projects on our case study page.
Further details on the CARES support that will be available under the new contract will be announced in due course, including guidance on eligibility and how to apply. To be the first to know when the next round of funding opens, sign up to the Local Energy Scotland’s CARES newsletter.