Community energy funding boost

Increased support for community organisations to invest in renewable energy projects has been announced by the Scottish Government.

Funding available through the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) will increase to £15m this year.

The initiative has already delivered more than £83n to communities across Scotland, supporting more than 1,200 projects and 75MW of renewable energy capacity.

First Minister John Swinney said: “We are moving beyond the idea of communities as passive hosts of energy infrastructure. Our approach supports them to become active partners by helping them to invest in, own and benefit from the clean energy future.

The announcement came as Swinney visited to Scalpay Community Centre in the Western Isles, which has received funding under the scheme to install a heat pump, solar pv and battery storage.