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Wind turbines 'offer farmers big earnings'

13 December 2008

Building a wind turbine on their land could see farmers multiply their earnings, it has been claimed.

The organisers of a conference held in the Scottish Borders told the Berwickshire News that installing the renewable energy devices could be lucrative for farmers and beneficial to the community.

Andy Drane, head of construction and projects at commercial lawyers Davidson Chalmers, said: "A farmer who earns say £20,000 to £25,000 from his business might be able to earn several times that from wind turbines."

He added: "North-east Scotland became very wealthy through the oil industry. Renewable energy is the new oil and that is why the Borders can do very well out of wind farms. There are also other financial spin-offs which have to be a major consideration as shops, hotels and service providers benefit during construction."

Local community organisations could also benefit as developers could contribute to local projects.

Wind turbines are eligible for government subsidies. If they are microgeneration projects, they will earn feed-in tariffs, which are above market rate prices per unit of electricity, while larger projects earn Renewable Obligation Certificates, which large electricity providers pay for.

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Author: Administrator User