Nicholas Gubbins, Chief Executive of Community Energy Scotland, talks about who benefits from renewable energy. The Whose Economy? seminars, organised by Oxfam Scotland and the University of the West of Scotland, brought together experts to look at recent changes in the Scottish economy and their impact on Scotland's most vulnerable communities. Held over winter and spring 2010-11 in Edinburgh, Inverness, Glasgow and Stirling, the series posed the question of what economy is being created in Scotland and, specifically, for whom? To find out more and view other Whose Economy? papers, presentations and videos visit: http://www.oxfamblogs.org/ukpovertypost/whose-economy-seminar-series-winter-2010-spring-2011/

1. Renewable Energy – Who Benefits?
Nicholas Gubbins March 2011
Scotland’s Community Energy Development Charity
http://www.communityenergyscotland.org.uk
Scottish Charity Number: SC039673

2. Who we are / what we do
Registered Scottish Charity
Help communities to benefit from RE
Restricted Fund management: services for
Scottish Govt; HIE and BLF ~ £6m this
year – grants to community groups
Advice and support to community /
voluntary / non-profit sector
Social enterprise

3. Scotland’s Targets – by 2020
80% electricity consumed from renewables
11% heat consumed ~ need 2.7GW installed
10% transport consumption from renewables

4. Scotland’s Renewable Resources
Wind Wave

5. Scotland’s Renewable Resources
Tidal Biomass

6. Installed Capacity
Source: Scottish Renewables March 2011

7. Focus on electricity
~ By 2011 31% electricity consumption expected to be met by
renewables = 4GW installed capacity
~ a further 10GW installed capacity required
~ 6GW onshore wind consented or in planning
~ 10 GW offshore wind – early stage
~1600 MW wave and tidal – early stage
Significant expansion in onshore wind required

8. Community Benefit
Rough rule of thumb: £100k net annual profit per 1MW installed
capacity onshore wind
4GW installed capacity = £400,000,000 net annual profit
‘Community Benefit’ : £700 - £2000 per MW
£2.8m - £8m pa
0.7% - 2% pa

9. Source: Elaine MacIntosh, SAC / University of Edinburgh 2008

10. Community benefit arrangements
Currently free for all – voluntary payments, no regulated system
Ministers well aware of scale of development required to meet targets +
wish to see a significant increase in the scale of benefits accruing to
communities from renewable energy
SG consultation on ‘securing the benefits’ just undertaken
Communities can need assistance in establishing structures and plans
for investing community benefit income

11. Vision
Decentralised • Community Owned • Secure • Resilient

13. Re-
£10,000 pa
investment
saving on
in service
fuel
provision
8500 Additional
additional events and
visits pa classes
Additional
income
from
additional
events

14. 3. Community
Owned (non-profit
distributing)
900kW Enercon Turbine
Commissioned 2010
Income via trading company to
Tiree Community Development
Trust

15. fuel
poverty
greening action school
local
projects
facilities
Transformational
local impact
Local food
business
social
enterprises skills
sustainable energy
transport efficiency
measures
awareness
raising

16. To view all the papers in the Whose
Economy series click here
To view all the videos and presentations
from the seminars click here