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Scotland increases community renewable-energy support to £15m this year

The CARES programme is increasing to £15m, helping more community groups install solar, wind, heat pumps and energy-efficiency measures while cutting bills and emissions.

By The TEA Editorial Desk · 28 August 2026

Community members beside a wind turbine in Scotland Image: Community Energy ScotlandOriginal source

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Community groups across Scotland will have access to £15 million this year to develop renewable-energy projects and make their buildings cheaper to run.

The Community and Scheme, known as CARES, supports projects including community-owned wind and solar, heat pumps, solar panels and energy-efficiency work.

The programme has already distributed more than £83 million, supporting over 1,200 projects and around 75MW of renewable capacity. It is also being complemented by £2 million a year from the National Lottery Community Fund.

The practical attraction is that the benefits do not have to stop at lower carbon . A community centre that owns or controls more of its energy can also spend less money keeping the lights and heating on, leaving more of its budget for the people who use the building.