A GROUP of nine beef and sheep farmers has established a co-operative to harness and sell green electricity. From 2010, Cornish Renewable Energy Ltd will generate energy from 18 wind turbines situated across its members' land. The North Cornwall-based co-operative intends to sell excess energy generated, to neighbouring businesses and households.

With planning permission secured, the group has now applied for a Rural Development Programme for England grant to help them pay towards funding up to 40 per cent of the construction work.

Its chairman, Royston Symons, who farms near Bude, said: "This is a very exciting moment, which marks the end of several years' painstaking research and preparation.

" It will give us a means of using our natural assets to stay profitable where we are, and to increase the proportion of emission-free power generation in Cornwall."

The group was supported in its groundwork by the Rural Enterprise Gateway's Knowledge Network, which helped to coordinate visits to existing local projects and green energy exhibitions.

"All of this helped us decide what we should be doing," said Mr Symons.

"We looked at a wide range of options. We considered growing crops for biomass, but decided that wasn't right for us. Then we looked at generating hydro-electricity, but found our farm location provided the wrong kind of water – we have insufficient height for it to run at sufficient speed."

In order to simplify the planning application to build two turbines on each participating farm, the group applied to build smaller than usual turbines, with hubs less than 15 metres high and outputting 20-kilowatts of energy.

"You have to take so much into account in a process like this, keeping turbines out of sight away from public footpaths and protecting flora and fauna, also ensuring they don't interfere with communications' networks, such as those used by the emergency services," said Mr Symons. "Across 18 very different sites, that's a huge amount to consider, but the effort was worthwhile.

"We are already talking to local companies who are interested in buying electricity from us – it's one way for them to substantiate their own green credentials. Moreover, many other farmers are taking our lead and are showing interest in undertaking similar initiatives themselves."

The nine members of the cooperative are chairman Royston Symons, Jon Balsdon, Jason Kendall, Barry Sobey, Jonathan Perry, Peter Hocking, Darren Sobey, Stephen Barriball and Crispin Sobey.

The Rural Enterprise Gateway, delivered across the region by Business Link, is funded by the Rural Development Programme for England and the South West Regional Development Agency.