New faces

A new Canadian wind company, Wenvor-Vergnet Canada Inc, will manufacture its own version of the 25 kW turbine made by French firm Vergnet. Wenvor-Vergnet has set up shop in Guelph, Ontario. It is 55% owned by the Ontario renewable company, Wenvor, with Vergnet SA, of France owning the remaining 45%, said Vergnet's William Hopkins, who was reporting the technology transfer at the CanWEA conference in October. The first fully Canadian made, cold weather modified 25 kW turbine is expected to be completed by March 1998. Tacke Windpower, renamed Huron Windpower after its separation from bankrupt German Tacke Windtechnik, will manufacture the turbine blades. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) had fostered this development with a request for proposals for a small Canadian turbine earlier this year, and a subsequent C$190,000 contract. The turbine is geared to the emerging market for net billing, as offered by Ontario and Toronto Hydro and other utilities.