BY BILL BRADLEY
[email protected]
Canadian Tire is selling wind turbines in most of its 400
stores across Canada, including Sudbury's south end location at
Algonquin Square.
What's more, buyers for Canadian Tire have chosen to select
products from Southwest Windpower, an industry leader from the
United States. The company has sold 95,000 small wind turbines
worldwide including the popular AirX 400 watt turbine.
Stocking renewable energy equipment is a sign of the times says store manager Sean Dempsey.
"We have operated a renewable power center at this Canadian Tire store for a number of years, selling smaller solar panels, batteries and devices that convert the DC electricity produced into a more usable AC current. A year ago we brought in wind turbines and now we are offering much more powerful solar panels, up to 120 watt panels.
"It all started with the electricity blackout a few summers ago. That spooked people, creating a market for generating devices. However we have a responsibility as retailers to provide products that are affordable and easy to understand and use. In a way it is like the low energy LED lights that showed up a few years ago. They seemed unusual at the time but now they are everywhere. So our buyers at head office are scouring the renewable technology world for equipment that is dependable and where they can cut a good deal for the consumer," said Dempsey.
"We find that Southwest Windpower turbines are quite user friendly. There is a 1-800 number you can call. They are easy to reach and very helpful," said Yvonne Barbosa, the store's parts department supervisor.
For now, most consumers are buying the wind turbines for
their larger boats or for their cottages which are away from
power lines said Dempsey.
However many of his customers are voicing concerns about
potential power black-outs.
"I think people are also starting to consider renewable energy for the residential market especially with the hot weather coming and the concern about rising energy bills. But it also depends of course on how easy the municipal and electricity authorities make it for customers to install them in their homes," said Dempsey.
