This cash represents the Ardrishaig Community’s share of income from October 2013 to March 2014, a particularly windy period which saw the locally owned wind farm generate electricity sufficient to power around 15% of Argyll’s homes over the winter.

James Lithgow of Ormsary said - "As time goes by, the difference between our local community ownership model and other commercial developments in Argyll becomes more apparent.  This latest payment brings direct income to the Ardrishaig community to over £210,000 since we started production in December 2012, with a further £37,000 distributed via the Educational Trust.  When this is compared with the much lower levels of “Community Benefit” being provided by the existing and proposed commercial wind farms in Argyll, the economic advantages of locally owned developments are clear.  Aside from the direct payments into the community, the land owning partners are using their share of the Allt Dearg income to fund multimillion pound investment programmes in hydro-electricity, infrastructure, housing and environmental improvement at Ormsary and Stronachullin Estates, creating additional employment and expenditure with local firms and helping to keep the maximum economic benefit within Argyll.

We are exceptionally fortunate to have the best wind farm site in Great Britain, as well as an excellent local service team, whose hard work looking after the turbines ensures that Allt Dearg makes maximum use of our windy weather.  We hope that we can extend the success of our unique local ownership model with the Sròndoire Community Wind Farm, which is due to start construction this summer”.

Mary Broadfoot of Stronachullin said - "We set out to be locally owned, with the advantages this brings to the wider host community.   It does seem strange that a relatively wee project like ours, developed by local farming families and the Community Trust with no experience of wind farms and reliant on borrowed money to fund the project, should be able to provide around five times the Scottish Wind Industry’s recommended £5,000 per MW of direct Community Benefit, when other commercial operators in Argyll contribute so much less in Community Benefit.  In the financial year 2011/12 the Council's figures show that the seven commercial wind farms operating in Argyll, with a combined generation capacity of 137MW, made community benefit payments in Argyll totalling £161,000.  Over the last 12 months, the 10MW Allt Dearg wind farm has produced £247,681 for the Ardrishaig Community and the Allt Dearg Educational Trusts."