The Scottish government has published proposed updates to its community benefits recommendations for onshore renewable energy developments.
It has proposed increasing the rate to £6,000 per MW per year for onshore wind, up from a previous rate of £5,000.
The government has also proposed a range of £700-£1000 per MW per year for solar developments, and a new level of at least £150 per MW per year for battery energy storage systems.
The Good Practice Principles were first published in 2014 and updated in 2019, and set national standards and guidance for developers and communities.
Updates to the Good Practice Principles for Community Benefits from Offshore Renewable Energy Developments will be published separately, the government said.
Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said: “Despite community benefit commitments being voluntary and now costing onshore wind developers twice as much as they did in 2014, the sector has maintained exceptionally high compliance since 2019.
“These funds deliver positive outcomes and remain unmatched by any other sector of the economy.”
Mack added that “amidst an increasingly difficult cost environment that undermines Scotland’s competitiveness, the Scottish and UK governments must protect the viability of projects.
“Failing to do so at this point will undermine our overall ability to secure the societal gains of our energy transition,” she said.