As a teenager growing up in rural South Lanarkshire, I care deeply about building a sustainable future for Scotland.

My friends and I will be the people who inherit both the climate crisis and the solutions to it, and so we want to work with renewables companies to inform and empower more young people to help drive Scotland's sustainability transition.

For us, onshore wind is an obvious solution, it's one of the cheapest forms of renewable energy, it provides thousands of jobs, and it generates clean power on our doorsteps.

Scotland has some of the best wind resources in Europe. We already get most of our electricity from renewables, but it’s obvious that onshore wind will be vital in hitting our ambitious target of net zero emissions by 2045.

Growing up in South Lanarkshire, I’ve seen how green energy is transforming our local economy by bringing investment, jobs and community benefits to the local area, and I’ve been lucky enough to be welcomed to one of the UK’s most impressive wind farms, giving me a behind-the-scenes tour.

Middle Muir Wind Farm in South Lanarkshire has been generating enough renewable electricity to power more than 44,000 homes. It has also provided more than £300,000 to South Lanarkshire Council in community benefit funds since 2020, which has been directly contributed to local projects through its Renewable Energy Fund (REF).

South Lanarkshire is home to the UK’s tallest and most efficient onshore wind turbines- I’m proud to say that we really are leading the way in onshore renewables.

In my political career I want to bridge the gap between young people, government and developers so that there is a clear understanding for young people to underpin the route towards Scotland’s green demands.

The Scottish Government recently announced the Onshore Wind Sector Deal, which should give the industry clearer guidelines. However, we can't take our foot off the pedal and there is much more to do.

Importantly, new wind farm developers must engage with, and bring benefits to, local communities and the young people within them. That means listening to any concerns, sharing ownership, and investing in facilities such as community halls, schools as well as nature restoration projects.

That engagement has led me to have positive conversations with the team at OnPath Energy about how we can continue to inform and support younger people in South Lanarkshire through onshore renewables.

Scotland has always led the way on renewable energy and it’s important we keep up that momentum and unleash the full potential of onshore wind.

Doing so will bring clear benefits – lower energy bills, stabilise jobs, and bring cleaner air for the next generation, but it also sends a wider message, that Scotland is stepping up to face the climate crisis.

It’s clearly a crucial time for renewable energy projects and there is a real importance in getting these sites over the line for the benefit of future generations.

OnPath Energy’s Bodinglee Wind Farm proposal, for example, is currently going through the planning process and if approved could provide more than 200,000 homes with renewable electricity annually and would create a community fund of more than £50m for our area to use.

With open discussion and genuine community engagement in projects like this, renewable developers can gain important support and hold important discussions with the future faces of green energy.

Ellie Nicol is a 17-year-old ambassador for renewables and developer OnPath Energy, formerly known as Banks Renewables

Agenda is a column for outside contributors. Contact: agenda@theherald.co.uk