The Labour Party has gone on the attack over the failure to develop the potential for community ownership of renewable power supplies across Scotland.
The Western Isles Labour party galvanised support for community energy at the Scottish Labour conference.
A joint motion by the Inverness and Western Isles Labour parties passed unanimously at the SLP conference in Glasgow last Sunday.
Speaking for the motion were Highland regional councillor, Jimmy Gray, and the former Labour MP for the Western Isles, Calum MacDonald, now the Operations Director of the Point and Sandwick wind farm.
Calum Macdonald said: “I have been working in community energy for the past 15 years and it has been a great success in the islands.
"From Barra to Ness we have seven community projects which together return £2 million profit every year back into a wide range of local projects and organisations. That is 20 times more than if these projects had been developed by private corporations, so community-owned energy is a no-brainer really.”
“But despite our success, we could and should be doing a lot more in Scotland and the UK. If you look across to Denmark, around 50% of all their turbines are community-owned. In Scotland, the figure is just 1%. This is a giant failure of government policy.
"Not only are communities losing out on a local level, the whole of the Scottish economy is losing out to the value of literally billions every year. We need a fundamental reset and I am very pleased that the conference unanimously approved our proposal for a new Scottish Community Energy Agency to raise the percentage of community ownership to at least 25% of onshore wind farms. If this policy can be delivered, it will be genuinely transformative for Scotland.”
“I’m delighted with the response”, said Jimmy Gray.”The hydro schemes and the later oil and gas projects brought massive and enduring advantages to areas like the Highlands – but the Scottish Government’s green energy transition simply isn’t sparking anything like that.
“Community-owned energy projects deliver up to 30 times more local economic benefit than similar-sized corporate projects”, he told the party conference in Glasgow.
“Yet only one per cent of Scotland’s onshore renewable resource is community-owned – while in Denmark it is 40 per cent and other European countries are putting us to shame in this respect.
“The recent auction of offshore wind sites showed no credible Scottish Government plan to guarantee supply chain or jobs benefits. The green energy transition in Scotland employs less than 1,000 people in the Highland and Islands – compared to 25,000 in oil and gas.”
Jimmy Gray called for a minimum of 25 per cent of community-owned energy to be stipulated in every new, renewed or repowered wind farm – “this would make a massive difference in the Highlands in terms of local benefit.”
Maximising community input across the green energy sector would, he stressed, ensure local people gain from investment, improved grid access and smart technology as well as tackling local fuel poverty.
His motion, on behalf of Inverness and Nairn Labour Party, and seconded by the Western Isles, won overwhelming support as delegates agreed with Gray’s demand for a Scottish Community Energy Agency to be set up to deliver increased local income and employment.
“I’m delighted with the response”, said Jimmy Gray.”The hydro schemes and the later oil and gas projects brought massive and enduring advantages to areas like the Highlands – but the Scottish Government’s green energy transition simply isn’t sparking anything like that.
“It’s a massive missed opportunity – but there’s time to turn it around. We need a new national agency to work with councils, community groups, social enterprises, landowners and the private sector to kick-start a community-owned energy drive.
“Countries like Denmark are showing the way and rural areas are being strengthened as a result. Let’s make it happen here.”