Baseline Report on Community Benefit and Shared Revenue from Onshore Wind Projects to Communities in the South of Scotland
BiGGAR Economics was commissioned by South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) to construct a baseline
of community benefit and shared revenue arrangements for onshore wind projects in the South
of Scotland. This report presents the findings.
Community benefit funds are voluntary arrangements offered by renewable energy developers to communities located near developments. They typically provide a fixed sum related to the scale of the wind farm and paid as a fixed rate per MW per year.
Analysis of the community benefit funds associated with the 52 wind farms in the South of Scotland found that in 2022, the total annual funding available was £4.1 million based on 1,621 MW6 of installed capacity.
The value of Community benefit funding available in the South of Scotland has increased substantially in recent years, particularly since 2016 when the annual funding provided was £1.8 million.
Note: this report focusses primarily on the economic impact of windfarms on communities, and the environmental impact (eg moving towards Net Zero). There is a section on the importance of engagement and consultation with community stakeholders, and the importance of collaboration of things like Community Action Plans. However, there is nothing relating to possible negative impacts of windfarms or addressing concerns community stakeholders might have about any negative environmental impact on the landscape.
