Well, unfortunately we have had to abandon the wind turbine project. After sorting out problems with getting a suitable fan, it turns out that the modification we were testing does not improve the performance of the turbine by enough to justify continuing. The benefits just don't outweight the costs of the project.

Instead, we are now reviewing all forms of renewable energy to determine what would be the most suitable technology to use for our factory. I've been investigating solar thermal, solar photovoltaics, wind turbines (off the shelf ones this time rather than custom made) and heat pumps as systems that we could use to generate electricity or hot water and reduce our dependancy on the grid. There are loads of companies out there selling this equipment, so I found that a good place to start is with the DTI Low Carbon Buildings Programme. This is a grant scheme available to householders, commercial businesses, SMEs, large new developments and public sector bodies who wish to install some form of renewable energy system. For SMEs a grant of up to 50 % of the installation cost is available on all renewable technologies. The LCBP website is particularly useful because it gives a list of accredited products and installers so is a good place to start looking for information.

Anyway, I have contacted a range of companies who should be able to help us decide what would be the most suitable technologies and who will provide us with quotes so that we can assess the likely payback period and it will be interesting to see what they come up with. One company that seems to be particularly helpful is Microgeneration as they offer detailed consultations to businesses free of charge! I will definately be taking them up on that offer.