Communities across Scotland seeking to develop their own renewable energy generation projects can now bid for support from an £8 million government fund that has reopened for applications.

The Community Energy Generation Growth Fund, part of the Scottish Government's Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), supports local groups in installing technologies such as wind turbines, solar panels, hydro schemes, or other types of renewable energy generation designed to meet local needs. Successful applicants will not only receive funding but will also have the opportunity to earn revenue from their projects, for example, by selling excess energy generated back to the grid.

The expanded fund totals £8 million and includes a significant contribution of £4 million from Great British Energy (GB Energy), building on support provided in previous years. Since its inception, the wider CARES scheme has provided advice to over 1,300 organisations and delivered over £67 million in funding, supporting more than 990 projects throughout Scotland.

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The reopening of the fund was announced by Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes at the All Energy Scotland conference in Glasgow on Wednesday, May 14th. Speaking ahead of the conference, Ms Forbes said: "Scotland is fast becoming a global renewable energy powerhouse, and it is vital that communities share in the benefits from this transition."

She added: "This funding, for stand-alone generation projects, responds to the needs of local groups – has the potential to lever in significant funds for communities. It will also play a key role in our delivery of a just transition – supporting a greener, fairer future for Scots." Ms Forbes welcomed GB Energy's support, noting it "significantly increase[s] the amount of support available to communities – and provid[es] a catalyst for growth within the community energy sector.” She affirmed the government's commitment to growing the sector to ensure benefits for people in Scotland while supporting progress towards net zero.

Chris Morris from Local Energy Scotland, which delivers the CARES scheme, commented on the fund's reopening: "We're pleased to be building on the success of last year's Community Energy Generation Growth Fund pilot to support more Scottish communities looking to take the next steps in their renewable energy projects and play an active part in the nation's transition to net zero." He highlighted the appetite demonstrated during the pilot, with projects ranging from solar panels on schools to wind turbines, and stated that the Local Energy Scotland team is available to help interested communities.