Communities from Glasgow to western Harris are set to benefit from £500,000 in funding for projects involving the use of renewable energy.

A third of the projects are specifically focused on town and city areas, building on the trend for community ownership of renewable energy sources in more rural areas.

Among the 23 projects granted funding is:

• Community Energy Supply for Urban Areas (CESURA): The will allow residents or landlords of multi-occupancy blocks in Glasgow and Edinburgh to form Local Energy Supply Companies (LESCOs) and negotiate the cost of their imported electricity with national energy suppliers.

• UrbanLink: This Edinburgh project will identify opportunities to install new hardware in 1000 households, including modern electrical and thermal energy domestic storage.

• Large Scale ASHP District Heating Exemplar: This project will provide an example of off-grid district heating to Glasgow Housing Association multi-storey blocks built in 1971 in South Glasgow. It will use a large scale Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP), an alternative to electric or gas heating.

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• Heat from the Street: This Linlithgow project will use heat pump and solar panel technology to capture heat from the local waste water system and distribute it to town centre buildings.

Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said: "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."

The Energy Minister announced in June that community and locally owned energy capacity in Scotland could generate enough electricity to power approximately 100,000 domestic households.

This is the second allocation made from the Scottish Government’s Local Energy Challenge Fund. Each project has received funding of up to £25,000 for feasibility work and, if successful, may be able to compete for significant capital support.

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."

(LM/MH)