Scotland’s first consumer-owned wind farm, Kirk Hill Wind Farm, has opened its doors to the public.
On Saturday, 10th August, hundreds of the 5,600 public owners visited their wind turbines for the first time.
The wind farm, located near Kirkoswald, is the second cooperative energy project from Ripple Energy.
The eight turbines at the site began producing electricity in May after more than £13.2 million was raised through public investment in 2022.
Owners receive affordable electricity supplied through the grid, which helps reduce their energy costs.
The wind farm has the capacity to power about 20,000 homes and businesses and can provide a year’s worth of energy for an average home in less than ten minutes.
Simon Peltenburg, Chief Projects Officer at Ripple, said: “Large scale wind and solar power are the lowest cost sources of electricity we can get, and yet used to be the hardest for people to access.
“Sites were typically owned by utility companies and big corporations.
“But that’s no longer the case. At Ripple, we’re proving it’s possible for members of the public to be involved and reap the benefits for themselves. This is the future of energy in Britain.”
