CORNISH farmer Robert Herford is the first UK farmer to install a Coemi Skywing turbine and is set to hold an open day on Friday, December 11th.
The Skywing is the very latest in wind turbine design and despite their compact size and ultra-quiet operation compare favourably with giant turbines, thanks to computer-controlled technology.
Robert, aged 44, of 520-acre Borlase Vath Manor Farm near St Columb Major, said: "We all need power and I believe microgeneration is the way forward thanks to Skywing.
"It’s so quiet and efficient and I expect to earn back what I paid for it within a very short time because our farm is on the very windy Atlantic coastal road.
"I farm 400 head of beef cattle and corn and last year our electricity bill was £2,500. Next year, I hope to pay nothing for electricity and make a profit by selling it back to the National Grid, so if we can play our part in saving money and producing surplus energy I’ll be very happy."
Installing a super-efficient wind turbine has become even more attractive after the Government announced an increase in so-called ’feed-in-tariffs (FITs).
Next April green energy producers are set to be paid 23p per kilowatt from the 9p they receive now.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) introduced FITs to reward installers of renewable energy for feeding back any surplus into the national grid.
Robert, who lives with wife Rachel and 20-month-old son Jacob, said: "We expect to produce around 25,000 kilowatts a year so we aim to have free electricity while any surplus goes into the National Grid."
The hi-tech Skywing turbines, cost from £30,000 and range from 12-to-18 metres high offering outputs of 10kw to 50kw and are under sole licence of Coemi Wind Turbines Ltd owned by green entrepreneur Paul Young, of Burnham-on-Sea.
Paul said: "Farmers have harnessed the wind since the 12th Century, to mill grain, pump water and saw wood but for 21st Century farmers wind will play a more important role as they face rising diesel costs, battles with supermarkets over milk pricing, unseasonal weather and a growing population.
"There’s no other compact turbine that comes near Skywing. In fact, the small microgenerators out now use 30-year technology which is like driving a car from the late 1970s.
"Skywing is incredibly easy to put up in just a matter of minutes with a hydraulic lift and with a state-of-the art computer at the helm it can remotely serviced.
"Skywings are the product of a world-wide technical team and scaled-down versions of the 100-metre high turbines but like those giants are just as capable of producing power and will pay for themselves in five years – which is as long as our guarantee lasts."
Paul will attend the open day at Borlase Vath Manor Farm along with representatives of the Regional Development Agency, which grant-aided the Skywing turbine along with regional electricity board experts.
Natural England, which backed Skywing’s installation, will attend explaining how it rigorously examined the scheme because of the farm’s Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The SSSI takes up 100 acres of Robert’s farm and is made up of stringently protected moorland, bogland, healthland and 10 acres of lakes.
It’s home to diverse wildlife, including 16 species of dragonfly and damsel flies, butterflies, unique bog plants, flowers and heathers as well as birds like Marsh Harrier and Stone Chats.
Agricultural business advisor and environmental consultancy specialist Paula Dossett is expected to be on hand to give advice to interested farmers, businesses and environmentalists.
The open day from 10.30am to 3.30pm is for anyone interested in the benefits of 21st Century microgeneration. Refreshments and lunch are provided
