Scotland has seen an increase in community and local ownership of energy in the past year.

Latest figures from the Scottish Government reveal there was a 27% rise in community-owned energy projects in 2014.

One of the projects is the Point and Sandwick Wind Farm, which is a fully-owned community scheme on the Isle of Lewis – claimed to be the biggest of its kind in the UK.

It is expected to be operational later this year and is estimated to generate around £1 million a year for the local community.

Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing will make the announcement later today at the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) conference.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Mr Ewing said: “The Scottish Government is driving forward a community energy empowerment programme to ensure that local communities derive maximum benefits from the local energy resources around them. By creating a system that focuses on local energy, we can help tackle some of our most pressing issues – from security of supply, to increasing costs – and stimulate local economic renewal.”

The Scottish Government has set a target of 500MW in community and local ownership by the end of the decade.

Last month the UK Government announced investment worth £60 million for community-scale renewables projects across the UK.

• community energy, Scotland, UK