More Than Just Tires

Canadian Tire has sells Solar Power and Alternative Energy products, including this $800 wind generator.

The generator is an Air-X model, made by Southwest Windpower of Flagstaff, Arizona. They describe the model as an “ideal product for the person that needs a little power for basic appliances such as TV, radio and a few lights.” The company also sells a variety of other generators and they have a Is Wind Right For Me? document that provides a basic introduction to determining whether a given site is a suitable location for a wind generator.

There’s a Wind Atlas for Prince Edward Island that might help Islanders in this regard. Here’s what downtown Charlottetown looks like in the atlas:

The maps are, from left to right, wind speed at 30m, 50m and 80m, and the colour scheme is arrange so that “redder is better.” The rightmost map, at 80m, shows most of the downtown at the “excellent” level.

I wonder if this represents the end of the “mainframe” era of wind energy, and the dawn of the cheap, easy to use “PC-level” wind appliance.