The success of a community wind turbine on the Perthshire/Angus border will encourage the launch of similar projects, it has been claimed.
The Glen Isla project was developed by Alastair and Diane Ramsay, who own Wester Derry Farm at Kilry, near Alyth.
Developed with Sharenergy, the project is only the second wholly cooperatively-owned wind turbine scheme in Scotland.
Primary schools in Glen Isla and Alyth will share the community benefit from money raised by the electricity it generates.
Sharenergy Co-operative director Jon Halle said: “The turbine is working very well. Despite the need to stop it occasionally for initial adjustments, it is producing very close to what was predicted.
“The success of Wester Derry Wind Co-op has indeed spurred us on we launched Heartland Community Wind near Aberfeldy, which will have two medium-scale turbines of the same type as the Wester Derry turbine.”
The turbines will be 100% owned by the group’s members and will pay into a local community benefit fund at twice the rate that commercial windfarms contribute.
Despite the success of the single turbine at Wester Derry, however, the Angus glens remain an area of controversy in terms of wind energy developments.
Concerns are centred on proposals for 18 turbines at Macritch Hill, near Backwater reservoir.
Opponents to the scheme have claimed it could cause “unacceptable harm” to the landscape.