A CITY centre landmark will use windpower to provide electricity in the latest green move in the business community.

Co-operative Financial Services (CFS) will erect three-metre tall wind turbines on top of its 13-storey building in Portland Street.

The plans, unveiled today, come less than two months after the company began cladding its city-centre CIS tower with solar panels - the tallest building in Europe to undergo such treatment.

CFS plans to place 24 micro-wind turbines on the roof of the Portland Street building in the biggest commercial use of micro-wind turbines in Britain.

The turbines will produce 56,000 units of renewable energy each year - almost five per cent of the building's electricity needs.

Each micro-turbine will generate enough electricity every year to save one tonne of carbon dioxide being produced from other energy sources.

CFS, which was formed in 2002 to bring the CIS and the Co-operative Bank together, is considering placing micro-wind turbines at some of its 200 other buildings.

Gary Thomas, CFS head of property and facilities, said the use of turbines highlighted the financial benefits of taking a greener approach to business.

He said: "Embedding renewable energy in buildings reduces the need to buy electricity and I anticipate a payback on the initial investment within around three years."

Ken Lewis, CFS resources director, said: "As an insurer, CIS is already experiencing the reality of climate change impacts. Over the past decade, CIS has seen claims arising from environmental flooding increase almost 500 per cent and these now total more than £1.5m per annum.

"About 40 per cent of Europe's energy use is associated with buildings. This turbine project, with the solar CIS Tower work, demonstrates these piles of steel and concrete have tremendous potential for future energy generation."

Coun Neil Swannick, Manchester Council's environment spokesman, said: "I applaud the practical contribution that CIS is making to renewable energy in Manchester. A world-class city such as Manchester has a responsibility to use energy more efficiently and to generate it from renewable sources. I hope other organisations will follow CIS's lead."

When the solar panel-cladding is completed on the CIS Tower it will create 180,000 units of renewable electricity each year - enough to make nine million cups of tea.

Earlier this year, the M.E.N. revealed how council chiefs had backed draft plans to erect four, 90-foot-tall turbines across Manchester to try and make it the greenest city in Britain.

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