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Small Wind and Grants

Where to find funding for your wind turbine

There are several grant schemes which offer funding to small scale renewables, particularly for the domestic and community sector.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP)

Proven turbine at Ladygrove Primary School

The Government's Clear Skies funding programme was replaced by the Low Carbon Buildings Programme in April 2006. The new programme is managed by the Energy Saving Trust and offers grants for domestic, community and larger microgeneration installations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In November 2005, the Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks MP announced £30 million of funding over 3 years for the LCBP. In March 2006's budget statement, it was announced that there would be a further £50 million for the programme. Of the £30 million budget, £1.5 million was carried forward to ease the transition between the PV and Clear Skies programmes. Under the LCBP there are two streams of funding available, Stream 1 and Stream 2. The outline of the different funding options are listed below.

Stream 1 offers grants for householders and small to medium enterprises to install microgeneration on small buildings, as well as for non-profit community organisations such as registered charities, community groups, local authorities and schools to install microgeneration on community buildings.

The level of grants offered for wind energy under Stream 1 are:

  • For individual householders & small businesses a maximum of £1,000 per kW installed, up to a maximum of £5,000 subject to an overall 30% limit of the installed cost (exclusive of VAT).
  • For community applications, grants will be up to 50% of the capital and installation cost of the microgeneration technologies installed and is currently set at a maximum of £50,000. These grants will be awarded competitively.

Stream 2 offers grants for large projects from non-profit community organisations as above plus businesses, building developers, energy services companies, and the public sector to install microgeneration on large-scale building projects.

The level of grants offered for wind energy under Stream 2 are:

  • Category 1 – for large retrofit projects grants will be up to £100,000 per project.
  • Category 2 – for major refurbishment and new build projects grants will be available of up to £1 million per project.

For more information on the LCBP and how to apply for a grant, visit www.lowcarbonbuildings.org or call the free phone helpline on 0800 915 7722.

Scotland

Grants are available for those living in Scotland through the Scottish Community and Household Renewables Initiative.

See also a report from 1998 on financial viability of wind energy for farms and rural businesses. Some of the support mechanisms have changed, but it's still full of useful information.