Scotland has reached a major milestone on its renewable targets for 2020.

The country now has 595MW of community and locally-owned renewable capacity, exceeding its 500MW target for 2020.

According to a new report from the Energy Saving Trust, there has been a 17% rise in community/locally-owned renewable generation since September 2015. Overall, the schemes are producing enough power for around 300,000 homes, with the two largest power sources continuing to be onshore wind (273MW) and biomass (162MW).

Out of 15,570 locally and community-owned renewables sites in Scotland, solar posted the largest increase in capacity, more than doubling due to councils and housing associations installing Solar PV cells in their buildings.

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Energy Minister Paul Wheelhouse said: "We have exceeded our 2020 target of achieving 500 MW in community and local ownership and, in line with our 2016 election manifesto commitment, we now pledge to double this to 1GW in the same time frame. Putting this in context, 1GW would be enough electricity to power half a million homes in Scotland.

"Locally-owned renewables have the potential to help drive social, economic and environmental change in communities across Scotland. These projects frequently generate funds that can be spent at local people's discretion on a wide range of projects that reflect local communities' priorities, as well as playing an important role in our energy mix and helping us to meet our vital climate change obligations."

To view the report, visit here.

(LM)