Irish Energy Minister Eamon Ryan has unveiled measures to help homeowners generate their own wind-powered electricity.

The scheme is designed to encourage landowners and householders to install wind turbines by offering financial incentives.

If successful, members of the public could be offered the option to sell excess energy to the national grid.

Earlier this month the Commission for Energy Regulation revealed ESB plans to buy electricity from microgenerators, or more commonly referred to as householders with their own wind generators or other domestic renewable systems.

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The ESB said it would purchase supplies at a tariff of nine cent per kilowatt.

Mr Ryan today visited the Renewable Energy Systems open day in Straffan, in Kildare, where he announced the new incentives.

The Minister is expected to provide further details on a grant-assisted pilot study covering part of the cost of setting up a microgenerator.

It is expected a guide, outlining how people can get their turbines connected to the national grid, will also be released.

It has previously been suggested Ireland has the best energy-producing winds in Europe.

Many homeowners in the country live in one-off houses on sites suitable for wind-energy generation, it has also been claimed.

(PR/BMcC)