Low carbon energy projects will be able to benefit from up to £10 million-worth of support from a £60 million Scottish government fund launched earlier this week.
Roseanna Cunningham, climate change secretary in the Holyrood administration, officially launched the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP), at Scotland House in London.
The LCITP will fund large-scale projects which support Scotland’s Energy Strategy, which was published in December 2017.
Projects which deliver low carbon heating solutions, integrated energy systems, and ultra-low emission vehicle charging infrastructure will all be eligible for support from the programme.
They will be able to apply for up to £100,000 to develop business cases. Up to 50% of the total capital value of a project, capped at a ceiling of £10 million, will be available for projects that are ready to be invested in.
Schemes must be based in Scotland and able to be fully operational by September 2021 in order to receive support from the programme, which is match-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
The LCITP programme has already offered over £40 million of funding to 16 low carbon demonstrator projects, with the biggest sum (£9 million) awarded to support the development by Celtic Renewables of an industrial fermentation process that generates energy from whisky production waste matter.
Ms Cunningham said: “We are determined to attract, retain and develop the low carbon innovators who will shape our future.
“That is why, I am delighted to confirm that we are now accepting applications from innovative local energy projects to the LCITP.”
Dr Sam Gardner, acting director at WWF Scotland, welcomed the launch. He said: “Innovation in heating, transport and electricity will help us cut emissions, create new jobs and build new industry.
“We know there will be challenges in implementing the transition to a low carbon economy but we should grasp the opportunity to build solutions for the rest of the world to adopt.”
But he urged the Scottish government to set a net zero emissions target by 2050 in its upcoming Climate Change Bill.