Jerry Holohan, founder of
the renewable energy company,
Sunpeak Ireland, is getting over 10 calls a day from people wanting to install wind turbines or solar panels to help them save money on energy bills.

"Sustainable energy is the hot topic and it's the business to be in," says Holohan, who set up Sunpeak three years ago in Carraroe, Co Galway.

He has recently installed a large 11Kw wind turbine in a private estate in Co Wicklow.

"It costs €45,000 plus Vat and will produce 40,000 units of electricity a year. But with the ESB now offering 19c a unit for electricity sold back to the grid, the turbine will produce €8,000 worth a year and pay for
itself in five years," says Holohan.

Payback will be quicker when a carbon tax is introduced. An 11Kw wind turbine saves about six tonnes of carbon emission yearly and the resulting Renewable Obligation Certificates can be traded on the open market.

Holohan acknowledges that energy minister Eamon Ryan's grants for such renewable energies has helped the business. But he points out that the year's delay between announcing the grants and implementing them actually stalled his business. "People who made enquiries pulled out when they thought they might get a grant. But 50 grants are now being rolled out and that has renewed interest. Agreeing the 19c for units being sold back to the grid is a bigger boost to business though," says Holohan.

Sunpeak employs four people directly, but Holohan uses local labour and materials when installing the sustainable energy systems. "So many people in construction have lost their jobs. But this type of work is on the increase and as more people are looking to save on their energy bills, I will be employing more people."