Heartland Community Wind was set up by members of the core team who had already established 2 community-owned medium scale wind projects in Scotland (Dingwall Wind Co-op and Wester Derry Wind Co-op). As with those Societies, Heartland is 100% owned by its members who elect their own Board.
The Co-op was developed in partnership with Sharenergy. Sharenergy is a co-operative which helps to set up renewable energy co-operatives. It is a spin-off from Energy4All which has established larger wind co-operatives across the UK and itself owes its origin to Baywind, the UK’s first renewable energy co-operative founded in 1997.
The present Heartland Board:
Jon Halle – Director and Company Secretary
Jon is a founder Director of Sharenergy Co-operative. A lifelong environmentalist, he has worked setting up renewable energy co-operatives for the last 10 years, notably with Goldenfuels in Oxfordshire and Energy4All in the West Midlands. He is also Company Secretary of several other successful renewable energy co-operatives and Societies including Dingwall Wind Co-op. He previously worked with Goldenfuels Co-operative producing biodiesel from waste oil, and before that had a career in IT, as CTO of Citipages Ltd and as a freelance programmer working for a wide range of third-sector and commercial clients. Jon is a former Level 2 Unltd Award winner and winner of the RSA Onians Fellowship.
Elizabeth Leighton – Director
Elizabeth Leighton is an independent consultant providing research, policy advice, facilitation, and community engagement on sustainability and climate change issues. She has worked for a range of clients including the Scottish Government, South Ayrshire Council, and Dunkeld and Birnam A9 community group.
She is Director of the Existing Homes Alliance Scotland, a coalition of consumer, anti-poverty, social housing, industry and environment groups calling for action to make Scotland’s homes fit for the 21st century. She also provides the secretariat to the Climate Emergency Response Group, a group of business and civic leaders who have come together to use their insights and influence to urge the Scottish Government to put in place an appropriate response to the climate emergency.
She is a Director of Heartland Community Wind, a community benefit society which owns and operates two medium-sized turbines near Aberfeldy.
She chaired the Climate Challenge Fund Grants Panel which provided independent recommendations to ministers on community projects taking action on climate change. She was the policy advisor to the Scottish Fuel Poverty Strategic Working Group (2016-2017), which was tasked with setting out a vision for the eradication of fuel poverty in Scotland.
Previously, Elizabeth served with the US Foreign Service, with postings in Moscow, Sofia, Edinburgh and Alaska. Elizabeth lives in Highland Perthshire with her family.
Dan Hammond – Director
Dan has been a member of Heartland since 2015. He is an engineer with 20 years’ experience in the renewable energy industry. A large part of his career was at Dulas, a Wales-based worker-owned coop, where he also served on the board of directors for several years. More recently he has been an asset manager for wind farms and hydro schemes and he now works for a sustainability-focussed investment company, which owns wind and solar projects. He has also been involved in establishing and running a housing coop. Dan hopes his experience as a director, understanding of working within cooperative structures, and knowledge of the wind energy industry help him contribute to the Heartland board.
David Newsome – Director