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When it comes to getting a wind turbine on your land, persistence pays off. That's what Wendy Short heard from one Co Durham farmer.

Michael Eggleston is proud of the two electricity-generating wind turbines on his 160ha (400-acre) arable holding at Seaton, near Sunderland. They are expected to bring in an annual income of around £15,000 over the next two decades, which should put the family business on a much more secure footing, he says.

As firm supporters of renewable energy, Michael and his brother, Marsh, were keen to explore the potential of wind turbines when they realised four years ago that crop returns at High Sharpley could not continue to support the two families indefinately. They hoped to take advantage of the position of the farm, which is just a few miles from the coast and stands 106m (350 feet) above sea-level.

The brothers signed a leasing contract with St.Austell-based firm Cornwall Light and Power (CLP) in July 2006, and the turbines were finally installed this January. Returns are paid on the amount of power generated, which is in turn dependant on wind speed.

"I think wind turbines are a much better alternative than nuclear power. In my opinion, they enhance the skyline," says Michael.

"We have only broken even on our arable crops in the last few years and the options for other forms of diversification are limited. Plenty of people keep horses, for example, but the market for livery stables is already saturated in this area."

Michael has been told he will need planning permission to decommission the turbines when they come to the end of their useful life in the next 20-25 years, and CLP will be responsible for returning the site to its previous condition. Although 50% of the farmland is rented, the site chosen for the turbines is owner-occupied and currently in set-aside.

"The field was costig money to farm and the turbines have caused very little disruption, so it should prove to be a good experience all round."

"I have heard of farmers being asked to take turbines in exchange for free electricity, but that is not an offer that I would seriously consider. However, it does seem ironic that I still have to pay for my own electricity," he says.

Wind Turbine Facts

• The turbines at High Sharpley are Nordex N60 models, manufactured in Germany.
• Around 2500t of soil was excavated for the site, with 1000t of concrete needed to build the foundations for the two towers.
• The area taken up by each 60m tower is a maximum of 6m in diameter. The access roads for the site build have now been removed, leaving 95% of the field available for cropping.
• The power generated by the two turbines is said to prevent about 6000t of carbon from being released into the atmosphere.

Technical Spec

The steel towers are assembled from three sections, with the gearbox at the top. Each rotor blade, made from glass fibre reinforced plastic, is 30m long, which means the assembled rotor has a diameter of 60m. The blade tips pivot, and can be swivelled 85° in relation to the main blade, to act as aerodynamic brakes if necessary. Two anemometers, which can be monitored and checked remotely, control the speed of the rotors.

Planning Process

Planning permission for the two wind turbines at High Sharpley took around eight weeks following the submission of the final reports. They included an omithological survey, as well as an investigation into potential noise and other environmental problems.

No objections were lodged by local residents, and Easington District Council gave its full support to the project, says Mr Eggleston.

Enough to power 2000 homes

Renewable energy company CLP says it spent £3m on the design and build of the two 1.3MW wind turbines on Mr Eggleston's farm. Each megawatt of capacity should poduce an average output of 2200-3000 megawatt hours, depending on site wind speeds. Average annual revenue per megawatt is £170,000 - £240,000, of which 3% goes to the land owner.

Based on average wind speed at the site, the combined output of the two turbines is estimated to be 7500 megawatts/year, enough to power more than 2000 homes.

Capital costs for the project were met by CLP, which also helped with the planning permission process and will fund any maintenance required. The equipment is expected to last for 20-25 years.