FREE TO USE PICS. 26/2/2021. Pics of the roof of Edinburgh City Council’s offices, Waverley Court being fitted with Solar panels, as part of Edinburgh Community Solar Co-operative’s share issue. Pic shows some of the fitted solar panels on the roof, with Edinburgh city centre, in the background.
Edinburgh Community Solar Co-operative (ECSC) are celebrating 10 years of generating clean, community-owned electricity in the city: and they are getting ready for their next major solar project.
ECSC have already generated over 11 million kWh of electricity by installing solar PV panels on schools, leisure centres and community buildings in the city, this is estimated to have saved more than 2,000 tonnes of CO₂ from being emitted from burning fossil fuels. Their generation last year was enough to power more than 600 homes with electricity.
The solar panels are owned by a community of 600 ordinary people (the majority local) who chose to invest in community shares and receive a fair return each year.
The schools and council buildings which host the solar panels have them installed at no charge, and have benefitted from a cheap rate of electricity – ECSC are estimated to have saved the council over £500,000 in energy costs since launch, helping to redirect funds to essential local services.
Vicki White, Chair of the Edinburgh Community Solar Co-op said: “It’s fantastic to celebrate what we’ve achieved together through our solar panel installations over the past 10 years.
“We’re really proud that we’ve reduced greenhouse gas emissions, saved the council money and funded some really brilliant community projects across the city. Our project is giving people – and the City of Edinburgh Council – a real and practical way to act on climate change.”
Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “These numbers speak for themselves – there’s no doubt the Edinburgh Community Solar Co-operative has been making a real difference in the Capital over the last ten years, significantly reducing our carbon emissions while saving money in the process, and we’re delighted to be part of this.
“The City of Edinburgh Council has made an ambitious commitment to become net zero by 2030 and initiatives like this are central to our efforts to achieve our goal.”
So far ECSC has installed solar PV panels on 30 sites across the city, including City of Edinburgh Council offices at Waverley Court and 18 schools.
ECSC has another share offer due to launch very soon, when the co-operative will be opening up to new members to help fund a further set of solar installations across the city.
If you would like to be notified when their share offer launches, head to their homepage and click ‘Upcoming share offer: learn more’: www.edinburghsolar.coop/
Over £5.5 million for local renewable energy projects
An Island solar farm, community ice rink and a small community wind farm are among almost 50 projects to benefit from more than £5.5 million funding.
Supported through a combination of Scottish Government and Great British Energy funding, the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme’s (CARES) Community Energy Generation Growth Fund will enable 46 community groups to install local renewable energy schemes such as wind turbines and solar panels, to meet local needs.
Energy Secretary Gillian Martin confirmed the 2025 allocations for the Fund whilst at a visit to an Edinburgh Solar Co-op site in southwest Edinburgh, during Scotland’s Climate Week.
The community-run group have been offered more than £480,000 funding to install further solar panels on schools, community centres and leisure facilities across the city generating free electricity for the buildings and a fixed return on investments for local supporters.
Among the projects awarded funding are:
Edinburgh Community Solar Co-op receives £484,500 for Edinburgh Solar Co-op phase 3
Arran Community Renewable’s work on building community-owned Glenkiln Solar Farm
Eigg Electric to support their work towards decarbonising the island by 2030
Huntly Development Trust’s project to generate up to 20MW of potential wind, solar and green hydrogen
It brings the total number of funding offers through the Fund up to 69 since it first launched last year, supporting 57 different community energy projects.
Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy Gillian Martin said: “Scotland is fast becoming a global renewable energy powerhouse, and it is vital that communities share in the benefits from this transition.
“This funding, for stand-alone generation projects, responds to the needs of local groups and has the potential to lever in significant funds for communities by providing the ability to earn money from their projects by, for example, selling the excess energy generated back to the grid. It will also play a key role delivering a just transition to net zero, whilst supporting a greener, fairer future for Scots.
“To further ensure communities see the benefits of the renewable energy transition, we know more can be done. That is why we are calling on the UK Government to go further by mandating offers of shared ownership and to introduce a mandatory community benefits scheme for mature onshore technologies.
“We will continue to work with our partners to grow the community energy sector and, crucially, ensure that the delivery of renewable energy comes with benefits for people in Scotland, as well as supporting progress towards net zero.”
UK Government Minister for Energy Michael Shanks said: “Great British Energy is empowering communities across Scotland to take a stake in their own energy, whether it be investing in solar projects on the Isle of Arran or community wind farms in Aberdeenshire.
“This is our clean energy superpower mission in action – putting communities in the driving seat of energy generation and making sure working people and businesses profit.”
Local Energy Scotland Manager Chris Morris, said: “Congratulations to the community groups and charities who’ve worked hard to develop these inspiring projects and proposals. We’re looking forward to working with them and to see the lasting impact they’ll make, locally and across the country.
“This funding marks a step forward for community-led renewable energy in Scotland. Through CARES, we’re enabling local groups to turn ambition into action, developing energy projects that not only reduce carbon emissions but also directly benefit communities with long term social and economic value.”
