Maximizing community benefits from renewable energy programs will help Scotland reach its low-carbon benchmarks, the Scottish energy minister said.

Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing said the government adopted a set of principles that would help local communities benefit from onshore renewable energy projects.

He said the main principle of the agenda was a benefits package that would provide about $8,300 per megawatt per year, a rate that would be tied to inflation.

"Community benefits from renewable energy offer a unique and unprecedented opportunity to communities across Scotland," Ewing said in a statement Thursday.

Ewing said the incentives would help his country reach a goal of delivering 500 MW of community- and locally-owned renewable energy by 2020.

Scotland has one of the most ambitious renewable energy targets in the world. It is scheduled to hold a referendum for independence from the United Kingdom later this year, and says it could reap the rewards of offshore oil and gas while relying on renewable energy to satisfy domestic demand.