The Ford setup fits Vince's vision of a clean-energy system in which power is generated where it is needed and without using a complex and expensive system to deliver the power to customers. It lessens dependence on the national electricity grid and reduces the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere at a time when the burning of fossil fuels to create power produces about 30 percent of Britain's greenhouse gases.

"It's very important," Vince says. "It's the ultimate form of decentralized power, because you get behind the customer's connection to the grid. Making power where people use it is one of the things renewable energy has to offer. It comes in small building blocks; you can put it where people need the power. You can do away with the need to upgrade national grids to keep pace with population growth and demand growth. Regions can start to generate their own power, and then towns and villages can generate their own power. As demand grows, wind turbines are a great alternative to bringing in more power lines."

MUCH OF ECOTRICITY'S strategy depends on the ability to persuade British consumers to switch from a conventional electricity company to its brand. Since many people think of this as a complicated endeavor, one that would make their power supply dependent on the wind, the company has launched an informational campaign emphasizing that it takes only about five minutes to switch to Ecotricity and does not involve any risk or extra cost. On the company's website (www.ecotricity.co.uk), and in person, Vince emphasizes that moving to wind power is the simplest, easiest way Britons can reduce their contribution to the emission of greenhouse gases, which may lead to global warming. So far, the company has 30,000 customers, including 1,000 businesses.