AN inventor is hoping his system for generating electricity for schools and community buildings will win him an award.

Scientist Dr Garry Jenkins, 47, of Rowlands Gill, near Gateshead, invented the Gazelle wind turbine after eight years of experiments.

Now a North-East company has developed the turbine and entered it in the Spirit of Innovation Awards. It has received more than 550 inquiries from across the world about the turbines, although only three have been sold so far.

Dr Jenkins, who has an engineering PhD, helped set up the Morpeth energy company North Energy Associates, where the turbines are being manufactured.

He said: "We want to manufacture in increased volumes and improve the design to lower the costs and add new technologies to enable it to used in developing countries. We hope the Spirit of Innovations Awards will help us along the way."

North Energy Associates have already won the Department of Trade and Industry's Smart award for innovation. The owners were granted Government cash to develop the turbines. The award will take place at Newcastle Racecourse on Thursday, June 7