A Wexford farmer, a university study and a Carlow man are among the few exploring wind as a natural energy resource.
We are aware of the destruction wind can bring when it reaches storm force. There are some individuals who have been looking at wind as a potential sourse of free energy. The development of wind energy is at an early stage and a Wexford farmer is a pioneer.
Jim Devereux of Garrymile has been generating his own electricity since 1939 thanks to two wind turbines he built himself from old car engines. He is generating enough energy to light his home and power equipment on the farm.
Grind corn, and I can also saw off it, use bandsaws, use a drill machine.
At University College Galway (UCG) scientific research is underway with a project to harness wind energy for electricity production.
Professor Frank Imbusch leads the UCG Environmental Energy Utilisation group. He believes a combination of heat pumps and wind generation is the most viable way forward and can be used for,
Both housing and larger commercial applications.
An experimental installation in Abbeyknockmoy, County Galway is due to generate 6 kilowatts of energy, enough to provide central heating and hot water for one house. Colm Forde emphasises that it is early days at the moment,
I don't think we’re anywhere close yet to a stable electric power supply.
John Doran from County Carlow has been using wind energy to light his home for twenty years. He maintains the greatest challenge is to find out which type of windmill works best,
You find it very difficult to govern the power when you have it.
This episode of 'Newsround' was broadcast on 2 February 1975. The reporters are Sean Duignan and Jim Fahy.
