PLANS are being drawn up for the country's largest community-owned solar power park to be built to help tackle fuel poverty, reduce CO2 emissions and regenerate derelict and contaminated land.

The proposals would result in a local organisation owning a large-scale solar site in Dundee, with the income derived from the project funding energy-­efficiency measures and renewable energy installations in hard-to-heat homes.

Helen Grayshan, lead officer at Solar Cities Scotland, said the plans were at an exploratory stage.But in a speech next week at Dundee University's Centre for Environmental Change and Human Resilience, she will say: "We believe there is great potential for the first community-owned solar energy farm of this scale to be built in Dundee.

"The east coast of Scotland is the best place to develop solar projects due to the number of hours of sunshine and Dundee is well placed to take advantage of this as Scotland's sunniest city. Ideally, a local customer will buy clean green energy from the community.

"There is very little of this type of activity in urban areas but great need due to Dundee's fuel-poverty profile. A medium-scale site would be two acres with the potential to generate 500kW of energy, enough to power 170 homes. Income generated would then be used to fund further efficiency and renewable energy schemes across the city."

She said several potential sites had been identified, but she will say: "We also need to demonstrate the economic, ecological and social benefits as well as attracting the required funding."

Solar Cities Scotland is a charitable organisation which is part of a worldwide network of solar cities.