Building community confidence in renewables

Our Confident Communities project reaches out to people across Scotland to debunk the myths surrounding renewable energy and give them the skills and knowledge to campaign in their area.

According to research carried out by Scottish Renewables, nearly 80% of Scots support renewable energy and see the benefits of moving to clean, green electricity. But not enough people are actively backing proposals for renewable energy developments in their area.

We provide support and resources to enable communities to speak up for clean energy alternatives and to do so with confidence and facts to back up their arguments. We can help to promote or partner in proposals that deliver real community benefits, including financial ones and community-owned renewable schemes.

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Case study: Grampian Pro Wind Alliance

Grampian Pro Wind is a local community campaign supporting wind, and works closely with Friends of the Earth Moray. It is an association of local individuals and groups who are convinced that renewables are vital for the future and who are therefore in favour of developing properly designed local renewable generating capability.

How you can get involved

• We’ll be spreading the word about Confident Communities through a summer outreach tour reaching out to people in areas with vast potential for renewables that emphasises the local benefits of supporting planning applications for renewables in their community.

• We’re making a film exploring success stories from around Scotland, showing the journey towards community-owned renewables and the resulting financial, employment and social benefits. If you’d like to share your story please get in touch.

• We’ve developed a community briefing and training programme which enables local activists to speak confidently about the need for renewables and the benefit for their area. Hearing the case for renewables put forward by a member of your own community is the most effective way to inform and motivate support. If you’d like us to train your local group please contact us.

• We continue our work with local campaigners standing up against dirty development proposals and provide vocal support for planning applications for clean energy. We give local people the skills and confidence to make the case that new fossil fuel power is unnecessary, unethical, technically unfeasible and financially irresponsible. If your local community is facing a new development which isn’t in your interest please contact us.

• We can offer accessible information about community-owned renewables and a ‘how to’ guide for rural and urban communities interested in onshore wind, hydro power, small scale biomass and solar power.

• Ambitious national targets for renewable energy have been set, but now we need to ensure that local authorities are equipped to support green local energy and reject polluting developments. We encourage local members and activists to grill candidates about their support for renewables in the lead up to the local authority elections in May 2012. For training, support and ideas please contact us in the lead up to the election!

Donate to the Confident Communities project