Landowners are being urged to go green – and get paid for doing it.

West Coast Energy is looking for "partners" in its drive to bring wind energy to every corner of the Westcountry.

The Wales-based company has called on landowners across the region to offer part of their farms and small holdings for wind turbines, which will be used to provide energy for communities and the energy grid.

The Government's new feed-in tariffs for eco-friendly electricity generation are seen as the perfect incentive for landowners willing to cash in on the fine wind-power opportunities enjoyed across Devon and Cornwall.

West Coast Energy will provide the expertise and cover planning application costs in exchange for permission to build a "small- or medium-sized" turbine with an output of between 50kw and 1.5mw.

The deal would also allow them to sell some of the energy to other companies.

Richard Fearnall, development manager at West Coast Energy, said: "We are hoping that our proposition will make good environmental and business sense to landowners.

"We hope that our proposal will not just be of interest to farmers and landowners, but to businesses and community groups located in the South West as well."

The idea of communities and landowners generating their own income through feed-in tariffs has grown since The Energy Bill was introduced in late 2008, as an incentive to invest in green technology. Environment Minister Chris Huhne has also backed calls for more wind turbines in an effort to meet carbon emission targets.

Cornwall Council recently announced plans to explore small-scale wind energy partnerships with landowners as part of its wide-ranging Green Cornwall programme.

Yesterday, Ian Smith, managing director of Cornish energy charity Community Energy Plus, welcomed West Coast Energy's plans.

He said: "In order to meet the ambitious carbon reduction targets set by the Government, there's clearly a need to look at how we can accelerate the provision of renewable power generation, and the opportunity announced by West Coast Energy shows good potential."

The South West is already a hot bed for community based energy projects, with Modbury in Devon becoming the first town in the UK to ban plastic bags from its shops, in 2007.

Former clay sites in St Austell, Mid-Cornwall, were last year unveiled as one of six new eco-town sites, while community groups in Exmoor and Mid-Cornwall won grants of £500,000 as part of the government's Low Carbon Community challenge.