SCOTTISH company Gaia-Wind has flagged hopes of selling hundreds of its small turbines for electricity generation in Japan annually, after making important first strides in this key export market.

The company, which employs 18 people at its manufacturing base at Port Dundas in Glasgow, has been focusing increasingly on exports as a result of UK Government changes to the subsidy regime for wind power that have weighed on its domestic market-place.

Gaia-Wind makes small, 10-kilowatt turbines for electricity generation on the likes of farms.

The company said it was on course for total sales of nearly 200 turbines in the UK and export markets this year.

And Martin Paterson, communications manager at the company, highlighted expectations that Gaia-Wind would sell more than 300 turbines next year.

Gaia-Wind said it had established its own local subsidiary company in Japan.

It added that this subsidiary, initially focused on sales and marketing of the GW133 turbine, had already achieved the Japanese ‘ClassNK’ certification for this product and established its first in-country re-selling partnership, with Green-Power Corporation, based in Kamata, Tokyo.

Gaia-Wind added that it was also looking to develop long-term commercial relationships with NYK Trading and Kitakodensha, both Mitsubishi Group companies, and others.

The Glasgow company said it would be targeting sales of small wind turbines to farms, and rural homes and businesses in Japan.

Asked about the level of expected annual sales in Japan, Mr Paterson replied: “We would expect to be [selling], at first, maybe dozens, then multiples of that [and] by the time we are on the go [in Japan] for a year or two, hundreds.”

Gaia-Wind chief executive Johnnie Andringa said: “At a time when UK policies have only increased the importance of developing exports, we are delighted to have established a local subsidiary in this most important market.”

He added: “With the most attractive feed-in tariff in the world and a market size 1.6 times that of the UK, Japan will enable us to double our sales in 2016 [from 2014 levels]. This will create more job opportunities and underpin our contribution to the UK renewable energy sector, while reducing our exposure to the UK domestic market to around 15 per cent of our total sales.

“Based on our accrued experience in market deployment and the market size we expect, in time, to be supplying hundreds of turbines to Japan on an annual basis.”

Gaia-Wind noted that, in 2013, when it had ramped up its export agenda in the face of a “very challenging domestic market”, more than 30 per cent of the 103 turbines shipped had gone overseas.

In 2014, export sales accounted for 60 per cent of about 155 turbines delivered by the company.

Gaia-Wind has been targeting European markets including Denmark, as well as Australia, Israel, the US, the South Pacific, and Japan.

Gaia-Wind said that nearly 1,000 of its turbines had been "in the ground" for a combined operational time of in excess of 15 million hours, equivalent to more than 1,700 years.

It noted that, at 16,109 kilometres (10,000 miles) from its Glasgow manufacturing base, its two turbines on Tonga had set the distance record for a Gaia-Wind export order. The company noted that it was in discussions to increase the fleet on the island kingdom.

Mr Paterson said that it cost about £55,000 for a small wind turbine and associated installation in the UK, with the exact amount depending on road access requirements and the logistics of hooking up to the electricity grid.