Feasibility of small wind turbines in Ontario: Integrating power curves with wind trends

Abstract. Micro-scale/small wind turbines, unlike larger utility-scale turbines, produce electricity at a rate of 300 W to 10 kW at their rated wind speed and are typically below 30 m in hub-height. These wind turbines have much more flexibility in their costs, maintenance and siting owing to their size and can provided wind energy in areas much less suited for direct supply to the grid system. The small wind industry has been substantially slow to progress in Ontario, Canada, and there is much debate over their viability in a growing energy dependent economy. In an effort to diversify the energy sector in Canada, it is crucial that some preliminary research be conducted in regards to the relevance of changing winds as they impact small wind turbines; this study seeks to demonstrate the performance of two small wind turbines, and speculate on the potential power output and its trend over Ontario historically over the last 33 years using the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) data. We assessed the efficiencies of a Skystream 3.7 (2.4 kW) and a Bergey Excel 1 kW wind turbines at the pre-established Kortright Centre for Conservation wind test site, located north of Toronto. We have found that the small turbine-based wind power around the Great Lakes and eastern James Bay have increased during the seasonal months of winter and fall, contributing as much as about 10 % in some regions to the total electricity demand in Ontario.