Canadian Tire expanding into solar and wind-power systems
Website focuses on renewable energy
Retailer plans to sell to homeowners
Jun. 16, 2006. 01:00 AM
TYLER HAMILTON
BUSINESS REPORTER
Canadian Tire Corp. is getting into the power-generation business — sort of.
The retailer, which sells everything from sports equipment to car tires, has launched a new website dedicated to selling solar and wind systems to homeowners, hoping that the trend toward energy self-sufficiency and renewable power will translate into revenues.
"We're really focusing on the home power area," said Lisa Gibson, a spokesperson for Canadian Tire, which has 465 locations in communities large and small across the country.
"Given industry trends, we think it's going to be a big trend here in Canada. There are a lot of people today actually off the grid and they need these products, and then those on the grid looking for alternative sources."
The site, on the Internet at canadiantirepower.ca, sells solar panels, wind turbines, power electronics and battery storage — all the necessary components of a renewable energy system. It also provides system design tips, price estimates on a range of system sizes, and a solar calculator to estimate how much power a homeowner can expect from the sun.
The retailer has sold solar panels for about three years, starting with small systems for recreational vehicles, but has since spread out into higher-wattage products. It just began selling wind turbines this year from Arizona-based Southwest Windpower, the largest producers of small wind generators.
Gibson said Canadian Tire's strong presence in rural Canada partly explains the demand for the products, particularly for off-grid homes. But interest is growing for systems tied directly to the grid, allowing homeowners to sell electricity they produce back to the network.
Under Ontario's "standard offer" program, the province will pay participants 42 cents for every kilowatt of solar electricity they sell into the grid, and 11 cents for wind power. |
