Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company

Who we are

We are a 'non-profit' distributing company with a voluntary board of directors appointed for their specialist knowledge and involvement in renewable energy and community development.   We were established in December 2004 and currently are a subsidiary of Highlands and Islands Enterprise.  We have 12 members of staff covering part of our area.  The remaining areas are covered by agents employed by us to deliver our services.

Our aim

Our aim is for all communities across the Highlands and Islands to be able to generate and use renewable energy for their long term and collective benefit.

What we do

We provide free advice, grant funding and finance for renewable energy projects developed by community groups to benefit their community.  This extends to non-profit distributing organisations such as social enterprises and housing associations.  Our area of operation is the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.We assist from the earliest stage of a project idea through to helping to ensure it is running properly once completed.

For example, we can help you if you want to fit renewable energy equipment into a building to help reduce your running costs and use of fossil fuels such as oil.  We can also help if you wish to develop a larger-scale project to generate and sell energy to gain a long-term income for your community or organisation.  Some examples of projects we have assisted can be found here.  We work to raise the profile of renewable energy and the opportunities it presents for communities.  We do this through a regular newsletter, news update and through a series of events. If you have a project idea, or simply want to explore what the opportunities might be for your community, please get in touch.