Wind Power Now Lucrative Energy Option for UK Consumers

Introduced by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the FiT system was developed to encourage small scale (less than 50kW), low carbon electricity generation. The tariffs became available on April 1, 2010 and are designed to significantly offset monthly costs with income received from renewable energy production.

"Receiving the MCS certification marks a huge milestone for Southwest Windpower in the European market," said Dixon Thayer, Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Windpower. "Through government incentives, wind energy will now be available at a competitive cost for consumers across the UK."

Under the scheme, consumers who install MCS certified wind turbines (more than 1.5kW) will be paid 26.7p per kWh generated and receive an additional 3p for every kWh that is exported back to the grid. During the tariff’s 20-year lifespan, Southwest Windpower customers can expect to recoup their investment while reducing their energy costs.

"Qualifying for the feed-in tariff scheme is particularly important for Southwest Windpower in light of the EU’s goal to combat climate change by deriving 20 percent of its energy from sustainable sources by 2020," said Thayer. "Wind power is a widely available resource in Europe, and we have every confidence that the tariffs will be integral in the success of our European business while also providing an affordable renewable energy option for our UK customers."

Competitive in cost and economical to run, small wind turbines such as the Skystream 3.7 have become more popular than ever as an affordable option in generating renewable energy. Specifically designed for electricity grid connection for homes and businesses, the Skystream 3.7 can produce energy in very low winds so the impact on the surrounding environment is minimal.

Currently, Southwest Windpower’s Skystream 3.7 is one of only three wind turbines to receive MCS certification. The Skystream 3.7 is widely distributed throughout Europe through our partners: Next Generation Turbines in the UK, Kent Fournitures Industrielles and Mercinat in France, WiP in Italy, FF Solar and Energia Lateral in Portugal, Kilowatt Solar and Aquasolar in Belgium, Eco Energy Rietpol in the Netherlands, WIRSOL GmbH and Phaesun GmbH in Germany and Sunstream Energy in Ireland to name a few.

Southwest Windpower has been designing and distributing small wind turbines for more than 22 years and is the recognized global leader in the design, manufacturing and distribution of small wind systems (400-3000 watts). The company has been a pioneer in the development of wind technology and has built and shipped more than 160,000 wind turbines to over 120 countries worldwide and has sales representation in over 88 countries.

Headquartered in Flagstaff Ariz., it also has operations in Cologne, Germany and a joint venture in Ningbo, China. Applications for Southwest Windpower systems include residential homes, commercial properties, micro grids, remote cabins, telecom transmitters, offshore platforms, water pumping and sailboats. Southwest Windpower is the manufacturer of Skystream, Whisper and Air lines of distributed wind systems.

www.windenergy.com