In Northern Ireland, 112 community-based projects have benefited from the investment. The donation has also provided 70 scholarships to third level education STEM courses at Ulster University, North West Regional College and South West College.
Since the launch of SSE Renewable's Community Fund programme, over £4.4 million has been invested into community-based projects that are located closest to SSE's wind farms across Tyrone, Fermanagh and L'Derry.
The funding, which is generated by revenues earned by SSE wind farms in Northern Ireland, helps rural communities develop their facilities with energy efficiency and upgrade the sustainability of buildings.
Mark Ennis, Chairman of SSE plc in Ireland, said: "We are facing a climate emergency and to make the lasting change needed for Northern Ireland’s future we need collective action. It is clear that the communities near to our wind farms are committed to transitioning to net zero, and the range of projects supported by our community funding, from insulating community buildings to green travel and installing solar panels, shows that small individual actions leads to collective change."
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Stephen Wheeler, Managing Director of SSE Renewables stated: "Clean, homegrown energy is more critical than ever, and we’re proud at SSE Renewables to be Northern Ireland’s largest developer and operator of wind farms, playing our part in helping the transition to renewable power. We know that renewable power is important not only for talking the climate emergency and providing energy security but also to support the local transition to a net zero future.
"It is crucial that the transition to net zero provides value for everyone in Northern Ireland and the investment of £500,000 in local communities over the last year highlights how our wind farms are making a real difference. In doing so, we’re aligned to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, ensuring the investments we make into local communities help deliver affordable and clean energy, take climate action to reduce emissions, and support the creation of sustainable cities and communities."
Roe Valley Enterprise is one of the recipients of SSE Renewable's community funding. The Limavady based charity received £2,000 to install an associated battery that will enable the charity to store any excess energy its solar panels generate which can then be used when needed.
Martin Devlin from Roe Valley Enterprise, said: "The funding received from SSE Renewables went towards installing batteries to complement our solar panels, and to increase our overall energy efficiency and sustainability. The battery installation enabled us to further support tenant businesses and to provide workshops targeting the unemployed and disadvantaged groups. The batteries will reduce our energy consumption, with savings being reinvested into the delivery of community programmes and services."
