Around forty people got up close and personal with the Abergwaun Community Turbine on Tuesday, on a day of tours and energy related displays.

The 45 metre, 225kW turbine was installed this summer. It is capable of producing 530,000 KWh per year, the equivalent of 130 homes and will cut down on emissions of carbon dioxide.

The turbine is a partnership between local environmental charity Transition Bro Gwaun (TBG) and Parcymorfa Farms, Fishguard. It is the first community wind turbine project in Wales, and is supported by the Welsh Government’s Community Renewables Programme.

Transition Bro Gwaun’s £285,000 share of the turbine has been paid for by local investors, promised a 4 percent return on their investments over five years.

The group’s share of the turbine’s profits will help to fund other community projects. These will be able to apply for grants for low carbon initiatives such as insulation, electric car clubs and local food growing or preserving projects.

As well as trips to the turbine, Tuesday’s event to celebrate its commissioning featured displays in Fishguard Town Hall on a range of energy-related themes visited by more than 100 people. Together withan afternoon discussion, led by Peter Davies, climate change commissioner for Wales, and Glen Peters, developer of the Ty Solar housing project.

Refreshments were supplied by Fishguard’s Transition Café.

“We were really pleasantly surprised with the number of people who came,” said Transition Bro Gwaun trustee, Julia Moffett.

“We had a really good turnout, especially for the talk. The three trips up to the turbine were really positively received. Everybody was commenting on the positive side of it. In the end its actually contributing very greatly to the community and to energy.”