Last Updated Septemnber 2022

The Islay Community Wind Project is at the forefront of a growing trend in social investment and has joined a group of Scottish island communities establishing a more sustainable, socio-economic future through the exploitation of renewable energy resources using local enterprise.  This project is unique as it is one of the first community-owned wind projects in Scotland to be part-financed through a community benefit society share offer.

Since its inception the sum of £210,000 has been transferred to Islay Energy Trust (IET), plus a further £60,000 by the end of 2022, to provide a number of grant funding opportunities towards a range of community projects in the communities of Islay, Jura and Colonsay.

To date, we have received 1214 Expressions of Interest, which have turned into 115 formal applications. Of these 99 have been approved, and a total of £184k has been disbursed. 76 applications were under the Strengthening Communities stream, of which 68
were funded. 39 were under the Energy/Fuel Efficiency stream of which 31 were funded.

Despite recent performance issues (see here), it is anticipated that the turbine will continue to provide annually increasing levels of funding for investment and community projects for many years into the future.

Applications for funding are continuously being accepted and may be submitted by anyone resident and registered on the electoral roll or from groups, organisations or businesses with a registered address on Islay, Jura or Colonsay.
Funding is available in three priority areas:
– Developing renewable energy projects for community benefit – primarily targeting larger-scale projects looking for investment in projects and renewable energy.
– Strengthening Communities – assisting groups/individuals to build capacity locally and to achieve social and environmental benefits
– Energy and Fuel Efficiency – supporting individuals/groups in modernising outdated fuel systems and aiming to provide energy savings; supporting individuals faced with paying a large portion of their income on heating costs.
Projects should provide clear benefits to the people and wider communities of Islay, Jura and Colonsay.

Funding application forms can be downloaded from the IET website (https://islayenergytrust.org.uk/), but paper copies are available at the IET office in Custom House, Bowmore. For further information, contact Dr Billy Sinclair on 01496 301413 or via e-mail: billy.sinclair@islayenergytrust.org.uk