The Energy Secretary has today (Friday 21 March) announced the first major project for Great British Energy – a company owned by the British people, for the British people – to invest in rooftop solar and community energy. This includes funding for Scotland to roll out new renewable infrastructure such as hydropower, onshore wind, or solar, to provide clean power and jobs for communities in Scotland.
Scotland is to receive nearly £5 million to build community and renewable energy projects thanks to funding from Great British Energy and the UK Government.
The funding will be delivered by the Scottish Government and will further support its action to deliver more clean energy projects through its Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) which encourages local and community ownership of renewable energy projects across Scotland.
The Great British Energy and UK Government funding will give communities in Scotland a stake in their own innovative clean power projects, with the local clean energy projects boosting the Scottish Economy and providing jobs as part of government’s Plan for Change.
Households have been hit with rocketing energy bills in recent years, costing taxpayers millions of pounds. Great British Energy’s investment into local renewable projects will give communities a stake in their energy supply.
It follows Great British Energy holding the first meeting of start-up board members in Aberdeen earlier this week to discuss next steps to get new clean energy projects up and running in Scotland – supporting the next generation of jobs.
Scottish Government Acting Climate Action Minister Alasdair Allan said:
“This is a welcome announcement. Communities are at the heart of Scotland’s renewable energy ambitions and community energy will play a pivotal role in a just energy transition.
“The £5 million funding, on top of our investment of £9 million to scale up community energy and community building decarbonisation projects across Scotland, will support communities to participate in, and benefit from, the energy transition.
“The Scottish Government will continue to work with partners to grow the community energy sector. We want to ensure that the delivery of renewable energy comes with benefits for people in Scotland, as well as supporting progress towards net zero.”
UK Government Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:
“Together with Great British Energy, we’re putting power back into the hands of the Scottish people by giving communities a stake in their energy supply and ensuring they can reap the benefits. This is our clean energy superpower mission in action, with lower bills and energy security for our country.”
UK Government Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said:
“The first funding from Great British Energy will benefit communities across Scotland. Working alongside the Scottish Government we are backing local clean energy projects to help bring bills down while creating economic growth across the country.”
Great British Energy Chair Juergen Maier said:
“This funding will roll out clean, homegrown energy projects, crowd in investment and create job opportunities across Scotland. With Great British Energy headquartered in Aberdeen, we want to ensure that people in Scotland directly benefit from the government’s mission to become a clean energy superpower.”
“This is an exciting opportunity for Scottish communities to be part of the energy transition” Local Energy Scotland Manager Chris Morris said. “Funding through Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme will be announced on our website in due course and we look forward to working with Scottish communities to realise their energy ambitions”.
Further details on the funding will be announced in due course, including guidance on eligibility and how to apply. To be the first to know sign up to Local Energy Scotland’s CARES newsletter.