Community Owned Green Power
Auchrobert Community Energy Society is a community benefit society formed to enable people to own a stake in the Auchrobert wind farm in South Lanarkshire. The Society hopes to raise £1,500,000 through a public share offer.
Auchrobert is working with established social enterprise Energy4All to enable greater community involvement in the wind farm, allowing the public to own part of the project. The share offer launched on 30 September. Local people in South Lanarkshire and renewable energy supporters nationwide can purchase shares from as little as £100. Share interest will be paid on an annual basis, dependent on the amount of energy produced by the wind farm.
Auchrobert wind farm has been developed and built by Falck Renewables Wind Ltd and comprises twelve GE 3.2MW wind turbines with a total export capacity of 36MW. The wind farm is expected to produce enough clean energy to power approximately 26,000 homes.
Director Jim Lee said “We have recruited some local directors who will be helping to get as many local people as possible involved in this share offer. Looking to the future the renewables society will create a fund for the benefit of the local community closest to the wind farm site”.
Erin Hunter, Falck Renewables’ Community Relations Manager commented: “We have always been determined as a company to offer local people the chance to have a stake in their local wind farm and have developed similar schemes for most of our previous developments in the UK.”
If you are interested in finding out more about Auchrobert Community Energy Society please visit www.auchrobert.coop
The share offer is open until 6th November 2019.
Notes to Editor:
* Energy4All is owned by the community co-operatives it creates and is unique in the UK. It was established in 2002 by the successful Baywind Energy Co-op in Cumbria and has now set-up (and administers) 26 additional co-ops. www.energy4all.co.uk
* Falck Renewables Wind Ltd has developed this site and successfully offered a community stake on six of its earlier developments. With the help of Energy4All the six co-ops raised over £9.4 million resulting in 3,300 members. See www.asselvalley.coop www.boyndie.coop www.greatglen.coop www.kilbraur.coop www.skye.coop www.spiritoflanarkshire.coop
* Auchrobert wind farm is located in South Lanarkshire, 25 km south of Glasgowe and became operational in March 2017. Details can be found on the Falck website at the following link: https://www.falckrenewables.eu/attivita/i-nostri-progetti/auchrobert/overview?sc_lang=en