Glenkiln Solar Farm Makes National News
April 2025

It’s been an exciting week for Arran Community Renewables, Glenkiln Solar Farm has officially made national news!

As Scotland’s largest 100% community-owned solar project, the momentum is building and the spotlight is shining on what’s to come.

To mark this milestone, one of our directors Gavin Steven was on site alongside Kenneth Bone (the landowner at Glenkiln) and Helen Ross (Chair of Arran Eco Savvy), reflecting on just how far we’ve come and the incredible potential this project holds for the island. With planning consent now secured, things are moving forward.

You can read the full press release below.

Scotland's Largest Community Solar Farm get's the Green Light!

Arran Community Renewables, a Community Benefit Society based on the Isle of Arran, has been granted planning consent for a 6 MW solar farm, with the aim of generating 5,600MWh of clean renewable energy from 2027.

Glenkiln Solar Farm will be located around 1km west of Lamlash and will provide enough renewable energy to meet one quarter of the island’s domestic power needs. The £5million project will be the largest 100% community owned scheme of its kind in Scotland.

Arran Community Renewables was set up in 2020 by trustees of Arran Eco Savvy and is wholly owned by its members. It provides an opportunity for residents to own a stake in the provision of local renewable energy, alongside the establishment of a new community benefit fund for the island.

With planning consent secured, the focus of the project now turns to securing construction finance, increasing local membership and maximising opportunities for community benefit. Arran Community Renewables will be supported at this stage by Democratic Finance Scotland, as they lead one of largest community share raises of any UK energy project to date.

Chris Grainger, Director, Arran Community Renewables commented; "With this decision, we move one step closer to realising the full potential of true community-led renewables and the benefits that a project like this can bring to the island. The hard work is not over, but we look forward to the next stage - securing construction finance, growing our local membership and getting boots on the ground".

The scheme has been developed to date with support from both North Ayrshire Council and Local Energy Scotland, with development funding provided by Scottish Government's Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES).

Morven Lyon, Head of Democratic Finance, DTA Scotland commented; “We are delighted to be supporting Arran Community Renewables as they prepare to launch their community share offer for what will be Scotland’s largest community solar farm. This project is a stellar example of a community taking the lead in the renewable energy transition, ensuring that the long-term benefits are shared equitably and sustainably.”

Through its community shares support service, DTA Scotland has supported 17 community energy projects to raise finance through community shares . These projects have collectively raised more than £12 million through community shares from almost 5000 citizen investors.

Glenkiln Solar Farm is the first energy project to be developed by Arran Community Renewables, with ambitions that this and further projects will play a pivotal role in North Ayrshire Council’s pioneering Green Islands Net-Zero Project.

Photo from left: Gavin Steven, Helen Ross and Kenneth Bone.

Newsletter Update
April 2025

We are thrilled to announce that planning permission has been granted for the development of a 6 MW solar farm at Glenkiln, Lamlash. This landmark project will be Scotland’s largest 100% community-owned solar farm, generating enough renewable energy to power approximately 1,250 homes annually when fully operational in 2027/8.

This is a huge step forward in Arran’s transition to a sustainable energy future, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and cutting the island’s carbon footprint. We are incredibly grateful to North Ayrshire Council, Local Energy Scotland, CARES, Glenkiln Farm, and all our partners and supporters who have helped us reach this milestone.

The hard work doesn’t stop here! As we move forward, we’ll be focusing on securing construction finance, growing local membership, and ensuring that the Arran community benefits from this transformative project.

You can read the full press release below.

Glenkiln Solar Farm gets the Go-ahead!

Arran Community Renewables Ltd (ACR) is delighted to announce that planning permission has been granted for the development of a 6 MW solar farm at Glenkiln, Lamlash. The 8.6Ha (20 acres) solar farm, situated at Glenkiln will become the largest 100% community owned scheme of its kind in Scotland and will generate power from 2027/8 providing enough renewable energy to meet around one quarter of the island’s domestic power needs or approximately 1250 homes annually when fully operational.

This landmark project represents a significant step forward in the island’s journey toward sustainable energy and community empowerment by significantly reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and lowering Arrans carbon footprint. This in turn contributes to Scotland’s broader ambitions of achieving net-zero emissions by 2045.

As previously mentioned in The Banner, the ACR Board, driven by Arran Residents, comprising 4 directors Donald McNicol, Esther Brown, Gavin Steven and Chris Grainger, have been working towards this goal. Additionally, for the last 6 months Anna Baker, with parents living in Lochranza, has been providing construction project management support.

One of the founding Directors Gavin Steven, said:

“What a fantastic team effort. We achieved and then exceeded all our milestones that we set back in April of last year, just an amazing result. We are all looking forward to the next phase being both scary and exhilarating.”

ACR extends its gratitude to North Ayrshire Council for their constructive guidance and support throughout the planning process. Their collaborative approach has ensured that the solar farm’s development aligns with local priorities and regulations while contributing positively to the community’s energy needs.

We also wish to thank the Scottish Government Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) for their steadfast support and funding, which have been instrumental in bringing this project towards fruition. Their encouragement and resources have enabled us to navigate the challenges of developing a renewable energy project of this scale and have reinforced the importance of community-driven energy solutions in the fight against climate change.

Chris Morris, Local Energy Scotland Manager, said:

“Arran Community Renewables have worked incredibly hard to achieve this important project milestone. We are very pleased for the team and wish them well in the next stages of their project.”

Importantly without Kenneth Bone at Glenkiln Farm enabling us to lease the solar field, none of this could have happened. Kenneth said:

"We are very pleased to be working with ACR to establish another renewable energy project on Glenkiln which provides further diversification of our business and financial benefit to the wider Community. The solar farm will complement our existing hydro scheme perfectly with hydro generating power during wet periods and solar in drier spells. Another benefit is that the layout of the solar panels allows us to continue to graze sheep between the solar panel arrays. Together, both schemes on the farm will contribute significantly to Arran becoming net-zero."

Finally, ACR would like to thank the consultants Locogen, CMS and Communities for Renewables and their associates for their help, guidance and support in reaching this stage of the project.

Photo from left - Kenneth Bone, Helen Ross, Donald McNicol, Esther Brown and Gavin Steven at the Solar Farm site in Glenkiln.

A Vision for the Future

This 6 MW solar farm symbolises more than just renewable energy - it represents the collective will of the Arran Community to create a sustainable and resilient future. With the support of key stakeholders and the dedication of local residents, this project showcases the strength of community collaboration and its power to drive meaningful change.

The focus of the project now turns to securing construction finance, increasing local membership and maximising opportunities for the Arran community by establishing a Community Benefit Fund.

As we move into the next phase of development, Arran Community Renewables will continue to engage closely with the local community, ensuring transparency and inclusivity throughout the fundraising, construction and operational phases.

We would welcome anyone interested in this project and would like to assist us in the next phase of work, by getting in touch either via our website, arranrenewables.com or via email info@arranrenewables.com.

For further inquiries or to learn more about the solar farm at Glenkiln, please contact Gavin Steven, info@arranrenewables.com, 07802782378

Newsletter Update
January 2025

Over the last few months, ACR has made great progress in the development of the Glenkiln Solar project, thanks to funding support from Community and Renewable Energy Scotland (CARES).

Work has been completed on the planning application documents and formal submission made earlier this month - a huge milestone. If you wish to show your support for the project, the planning application can be viewed on the NAC planning portal, Ref: 25/00017/PP. All positive comments will help to support the success of the project.

The team have also arranged visits from specialist solar contractors to assess the site and inform budget costs, worked on finalising lease details with the landowner Kenny Bone and instructed a number of site surveys.

While the current funding ends in February, ACR will continue to work on the financial modeling for the project and look to develop the funding model for the next phase in the coming months.

If you are interested in getting involved, please contact info@arranecommunityrenewables.com.

Newsletter Update
May 2024

Hello! Sorry that it’s been so long, we have been busy working behind the scenes. For those of you not familiar with Arran Community Renewables, it is a registered community benefit society which will pay all income above operating and capital payback costs into the community.

It was created by Arran Eco Savvy as a means of generating revenue to support zero or low carbon projects on the island. There are four directors (volunteers) bringing a range of experience from engineering to project management and finance.

The current project, Glenkiln Solar farm is the fourth and largest project that we have assessed. At the outset we considered wind and biomass as well as solar but we decided on solar because it is a known technology with the least environmental drawbacks and as our first project, a lower risk, quicker delivery option than the alternatives.

The plan is to build a 4 MW solar farm on 20 acres of land belonging to Glenkiln farm. It is an excellent site for a solar farm as it faces south, it slopes southward, it is unshaded, relatively close to the 33 kV ring main and visible from very few residential or commercial premises.

The total capital cost will be around £3.25m excluding contingency. The source of the funding will be a mix of a share issue from the general public and loans from specialist renewables investors such as Thrive Renewables and SIS (Social Investment Scotland) both of whom recently invested in another North Ayrshire community project, the soon to be constructed Kilbirnie wind turbine.

The landowner has been highly supportive throughout the project and we also have pro bono support from legal and tax experts on the island.

Progress status:

The biggest hurdles for any large scale renewable energy development (apart from obtaining finance) is to get a grid connection and planning consent. I’m pleased to say that we have been formally offered a grid connection by October 2028 with no significant restrictions on the local network. Our next step is to confirm that there will be no knock on restrictions from the upstream transmission network at the Carradale substation and beyond. NAC Planning has informed us that they see no “showstoppers” and no requirement for a full Environmental Impact Assessment, which can be expensive to produce and to comply with recommendations.

Our next step is to obtain development finance to allow us to accept the grid connection offer, pay for the planning application and confirm that there are no transmission restrictions.

Key benefits:

The farm is forecast to produce around 5,600 MWh in an average year, around 23% of the island’s total annual domestic electrical consumption.

The total annual saving of Co2 emissions will be over 1,200 tCO2 equivalent.

It allows Arran residents to participate in solar power even if they can’t afford solar panels.

No noise pollution or gaseous or liquid emissions to the atmosphere.

View from proposed site looking towards Lamlash:

Come along to our drop-in to find out more!

We have a drop-in planned at the Ormidale Pavilion at 15:30 to 17:30 on Monday 13th May. Come along to meet our team and find out more about Arran Community Renewables.

Glenkiln Solar Farm Makes National News April 2025