Greenmyres 500kW community wind project to go ahead in Grampian

A new community wind  turbine project in Grampian has reached financial close – thanks to mostly locally-based subscribers and Local Energy Scotland.

Construction will begin this month on installing the 500kW Enercon wind turbine, which will be built on Greenmyres Farm, near Huntly, Aberdeenshire.

The project has been developed by the community and supported by Local Energy Scotland, with funding coming from the Scottish Government’s CARES scheme, Clydesdale Bank and Social Investment Scotland.

The farm is owned by Huntly Development Trust and its wholly owned subsidiary, Greenmyres Renewables Energy Ltd  will own and operate the wind turbine. GRE is planning to do a community share offer to replace some of the bank lending with community investment.

Meanwhile, Local Energy Scotland’s infrastructure and innovation fund is presently open for applications.

Grant awards of up to £70,000 will be competitively awarded to innovative local energy projects across Scotland.

Application forms must be submitted by 18 July 2016 and expressions of interest must be registered in advance.

Funded by the Scottish Government through the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), the fund seeks to support low carbon, whole system, small scale projects, both heat and electricity.

Full details – including applicant eligibility and award timescales – can be obtained by clicking here.

Meanwhile, residents of an Edinburgh housing scheme are to benefit from cheaper energy bills after a new green energy scheme was given the go-ahead.

People living in the Dumbiedykes scheme, across the road from the Scottish Parliament, can look forward to lower fuel bills after the Tower Power project received funding of £820,000 from the Scot-Govt’s Local Energy Challenge Fund.

In partnership with Community Energy Scotland, the project aims to secure a better deal for energy users by enabling them to buy energy collectively rather than via individual contracts with suppliers. Residents will also be able to maximise the value of electricity generated on site when solar panels are installed on the roofs, reducing the need to buy in energy.