Location notice
Please note that this page contains information and links most relevant for people living in Scotland.
Background
Community and locally owned renewable energy places communities at the heart of the energy transition. This supports Scotland’s journey to net zero and ensures communities benefit from their local renewable energy resources. By transitioning away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy, we can reduce our CO2 emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
The Scottish Government is committed to supporting community and local ownership of energy. It remains focused on its target of 2GW (2,000MW) of community and locally owned energy in Scotland by 2030.
The Scottish Government asked us to produce a database of all community and locally owned renewable energy installations in Scotland. This database is used to monitor and report annually on progress towards the Scottish Government’s target.
This report presents the headline figures as of 31 December 2024 for community and locally owned renewable energy in Scotland and reviews the progress made towards the target. It then explores this progress by:
- ownership category
- technology
- local authority
This provides a broader picture of the sector in Scotland. Also, we’ve prepared an adjoining methodology document to the main report.
If you have any questions or comments about the Community and Locally Owned renewable energy database, or this report and the adjoining methodology document, please email RenewableReporting@est.org.uk
Executive Summary
There were 42,900 community and locally owned renewable energy installations at the end of December 2024, with a capacity of 1,109 MW. These installations could produce an estimated 1,963GWh of renewable energy annually.
The Scottish Government has progressed 55% towards its 2030 target of having 2GW (2,000MW) of operational renewable energy capacity in community and local ownership.
At the end of December 2024, there was an estimated 13MWh of operational energy storage capacity in community and local ownership in Scotland from 1,190 installations. There were a further 2MWh in development from 150 installations.