A community group in North Ayrshire has secured more than £5m in funding to build a subsidy-free onshore wind farm where the resulting profits will be invested in the local community.
The funding, provided by Thrive Renewables and Social Investment Scotland, will go towards construction of a 2.5MW turbine outside the town of Kilbirnie in the Garnock Valley.
The pioneering project – believed to be Scotland’s first subsidy-free, 100 per cent community-owned wind farm – is being planned by ATTIX Community Interest Company, a community energy group established by charity Radio City Association.
Allan Wilson, secretary of Radio City Association and former deputy minister for environment and rural development for the Scottish government, said the turbine would “secure more in community benefits for local people than all the commercially-owned wind turbines visible in the area combined”.
“It represents a massive step forward for our Electric Valley Project which aims to promote sustainability and energy self-reliance and the investment of profits from locally sourced renewable power back into our communities,” he said. “This will allow us to start addressing inequalities in employment, health and education created by years of neglect and absence of new investment.”
Owned solely by the community, the profits from electricity sales from the wind farm are to be reinvested back into the local area, with potential projects including sports and recreational facilities and the refurbishment of a community hub, according to Thrive Renewables.
Thrive Renewables, which provided £4m of the total investment, said it expected construction of the turbine to be completed by the end of next year. The turbine will be capable of generating 7,839MWh of electricity per year, the equivalent of powering 2,234 average UK homes once operational, it said.
Matthew Clayton, managing director of Thrive Renewables, said the project was a “brilliant example of passion and perseverance that will bring tangible benefits to the people living in the Garnock Valley, including a new revenue stream, local green jobs and an active role in tackling the climate emergency”.
“Local projects like these will help Scotland build a cleaner, cheaper, homegrown energy system at a time when many people are struggling as a result of the energy and cost of living crises,”” Clayton added. “We’re pleased to be able to provide the ATTIX team with the flexible, collaborative capital they need to move forward with construction.”
Social Investment Scotland has invested £1.6bn in the project as part of a “blended finance package” and Local Energy Scotland has provided planning and design support, boosted by funding from the Scottish government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES).
The funding announcement comes a day after the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales published a report setting out how renewable energy could be scaled across Wales.
The Renewable 2050 report sets out 11 recommendations for how Welsh Ministers might be able to deliver a “step-change” for Wales to meet its carbon targets, covering a range of areas, including leadership and strategic approach, modernising the grid, the built environment, the planning system, community energy and benefits and the Crown Estate.
As the body published the report, deputy chair of NIC for Wales Jenifer Baxter said: “We are now facing time in our history where if we do not make a concerted effort to change how we deliver new infrastructure then our ambitions for net zero and the wellbeing of future generations will be in jeopardy.”
Community Energy Wales welcomed the Commission’s decision to highlight he importance of the community energy sector, as well as the barriers it faces, from grid backlog, costs and being locked out of local trading.
“We welcome this report as a first step – but are aware that the recommendations could go further in some areas – on shared ownership for example,” said Ben Ferguson and Leanne Wood, co-chief executives of Community Energy Wales. “Setting a 10 per cent statutory level could mean a race to the bottom from private developers. The community energy sector could be more ambitious, asking for ownership over different elements of projects, or more of an ownership stake.
“Wales has a history of having big changes to our society imposed on us. The next big change to our society – decarbonisation – doesn’t need to be the same. It can be an opportunity for the people of Wales to revitalise our communities, economy and the environment.”
It also follows confirmation from the government that it envisages its plans to allow communities that host wind farms to secure discounts on their energy bills to result in savings of up to £300 a year.
Want to understand what is going on at the cutting edge of sustainability? Check out BusinessGreen Intelligence – the premier information for professionals focused on the UK’s green economy.