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Joint venture shows how renewables can drive social change, says minister
A new windfarm has been launched in Scotland which aims to directly pay for the building of up to 500 new homes in the local community.
The 7.5MW windfarm at Hoprigshiels, known as the Fisherman Three, is a joint venture between Community Energy Scotland and Berwickshire Housing Association.
The housing association is planning to use its share of the revenue from the windfarm to build 20 new social rented homes a year over the lifetime of the project.
While Community Energy Scotland will use its income from the windfarm to support other community projects.
The windfarm is also expected to pay out more than £1 million to community associations and councils to spend in the area.
Scottish energy minister Paul Wheelhouse said the new joint venture shows “locally-owned renewables have the potential to help drive social, economic and environmental change” by investing in community infrastructure.
Community Energy Scotland chief executive Nicholas Gubbins said they “want to make sure communities are at the forefront of the opportunities that this will create for local carbon energy developments”.
“This project helps us do that, whilst providing an initial community benefit payment of £37,500 a year to the communities closely to the windfarm site, to be spent on whatever they identify as their priorities,” added Gubbins.
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