Canadian Seasonal Wind Speeds
Raw data from Environment Canada provides wind speed measurements from 50,000+ locations across Canada at 3 different heights every 10 minutes from the beginning of year 2008 to the end of year 2010.
We went ahead and used this data to formulate some tables and graphs that will provide us with wind speed trends across Canada. We placed wind speed measurements in equal-width bins of 3 months. Winter (December, January, February), Spring (March, April, May), Summer (June, July, August), and Fall (September, October, November).
Based off our results we found that wind speeds are at their lowest during the summer and at their highest in the winter, except in Western Canada where speeds peak in the fall.
Many people believe that a hot, sunny day generates more electricity than a cold, sunny day. This is simply not the case. Solar PV relies on sunlight, but higher temperatures reduce the effectiveness of the panels. So cold and bright conditions are ideal. However, the lower the sun is in the sky, the less energy reaches the panels. Because the sun is lower in the sky during the winter, it produces slightly less energy. Combine that with the fact that winter days are shorter, and you can bet that the panels will be less effective in the winter. Which is why having a small-scale wind turbine can provide numerous benefits.
During the winter the use of lighting and heating increase significantly especially with Canadian weather. With wind speeds being the highest during this time and air density increasing which provides more force to push the turbines, having a wind turbine installed is very effective. Due to the extreme weather conditions in Canada, one may argue the durability and reliability of a wind turbine. Well, our turbines have been tested by an independent laboratory to temperatures reaching -50 degrees Celsius. Our products also meet CSA electrical and mechanical standards making it safe and reliable for Canadians.
If you're interested in learning more about our microgeneration wind turbines, please reach out to us as we will be happy to help!