Adjacent to the Milton, Ontario store, the 20-kilowatt wind turbine is expected to generate as much as 50,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, enough to power four average size Canadian households. The wind turbine has been designed for low wind speed areas, where wind power has not been previously practical, and can operate in wind speeds as low as 10 kilometres per hour.
Power generated will be returned to the electrical grid under Ontario's feed-in tariff program for renewable energy. The company will use these pilot projects to assess the effectiveness and potential benefits of these systems to potentially power some of its stores in the future.
"Walmart Canada is committed to one day operating with 100 per cent renewable energy," said Roger Snowball, director of design at Walmart Canada. "These pilot projects allow us to test new technologies in a real-world setting, so that we can apply the best practices and learning to new stores in the future."
The projects also allow Walmart Canada to invest in Canadian businesses. The rooftop solar power-generating system was assembled and installed by BramKal Contractors, of Burlington, Ontario.