Farming couple compensated over failed wind turbine

A retired farming couple have received a landmark compensation pay out for a faulty wind turbine after it failed to deliver on the manufacturer’s claims.
 
Terry and Gail Beaumont, Huddersfield, paid about £40,000 for the 10 kilowatt wind turbine which was manufactured by Evoco Energy and resold by Newgen Renewables.
 
Evoco went into liquidation last year.
 
At the time, the reseller claimed the Beaumonts stood to see a return on investment of about £250,000, or £12,000 a year, by taking advantage of the government’s Feed-In Tariff (FIT) scheme, which would enable the couple to sell energy generated by the wind turbine back to the National Grid.
 
However, shortly after its installation in early 2011, the Beaumonts’ turbine experienced technical problems, prompting repeated visits to the farm by Evoco’s engineers who attempted to carry out upgrades and fit replacement parts.
 
In January 2012, the blades of a wind turbine owned by the Beaumonts’ neighbours dislodged and became embedded in a dry stone wall.
 
As a result, the manufacturer deemed its products unsafe and the Beaumonts’ wind turbine was one of around 170 which were turned off. It had generated just £7,000 in the six operational months of its 13-month lifespan.
 
Mr Beaumont said he had been warned the manufacturer not to take legal action as it would force them into liquidation.
 
“According to them, we would all then be left with ‘expensive garden ornaments’.”
 
The couple, who breed alpacas, took legal action and the settlement was finalised just weeks before a scheduled High Court hearing.