Windcrop Ltd gathered pace at gale force speed throughout 2011 and ended the year by celebrating its 100th turbine installation and having more than tripled its workforce with the creation of 25 new jobs at an expanded headquarters in Norfolk.

Windcrop currently operates in East Anglia but satellite operations have been planned for Wales and Scotland.

The business installs and maintains small-scale wind turbines, providing landowners with access to free ‘green’ electricity and cutting costs and carbon emissions. Windcrop generates its own return on investment through government feed in tariffs.

Norfolk Farm Produce, which specialises in the production of potatoes, rhubarb and carrots, became the site for Windcrop’s 100th installation. Three 15m high turbines were erected at Crossways Farm to help power the farm’s workshop and machinery, including the storage facilities and the irrigation pumps.

Windcrop’s managing director, John Moore, said: “Having 100 of our systems installed across the region, and a further 342 in progress, proves that interest in renewable energy systems is continuing to grow.”

The lead-in time for Windcrop to complete the various site tests and planning applications required is between three and six months, but once this is completed the company can install the system and have it running in one day.

Moore added: “Norfolk Farm Produce already had one of our systems installed at its Drury Farm site to help power the water treatment plant used in the carrot washing process.

“It’s fitting that our 100th installation was with an existing client. It proves that once the systems are installed the benefits are clear and landowners look for further opportunities to use an unproductive piece of land to generate renewable energy.”

Norfolk Farm Produce has a company-wide mission to enhance its eco-credentials and is keen to cut costs while conserving the environment.

Andrew Horningold, part of the management team at Norfolk Farm Produce, explained: “We take our environmental responsibilities seriously and customers rightly expect us to put the environment at the forefront of what we do. We have a responsibility to think about a sustainable future and it was a logical step for us to use renewable energy sources.

“In such a difficult economic climate, and with the cost of fuel increasing, free energy production has made it a lot easier to reduce our electricity bills. I’m looking forward to comparing our electricity costs with last year’s to see what we’ve saved – it looks very promising so far.”

• PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS: Michael Ford, Windcrop site assessor with Chris Griffin and Andrew Hornigold at Norfolk Farm Produce