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Home > Archive > Alternative Power sources > July 2005 > Air-X = Sharp?
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I've noticed a Canadian retail chain (Canadian Tire) has started selling
400watt Air-X wind turbines, but they are sold as manufactured by Sharp.
Did Sharp acquire Southwest Windpower recently, or are they just re-badging
SWW turbines?
http://www.canadiantire.ca/ (do a search on "Sharp")
--
Solar-powered Linux: Slackware 10.0, 2.6.12, Averatec 3250H1 w/accel S3Uni
RLU#272755
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| m Ransley 2005-07-01, 6:25 pm |
| Canadian Tire, so they are for your car
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Danno wrote:
quote:
> I've noticed a Canadian retail chain (Canadian Tire) has started selling
> 400watt Air-X wind turbines, but they are sold as manufactured by Sharp.
> Did Sharp acquire Southwest Windpower recently, or are they just re-badging
> SWW turbines?
> http://www.canadiantire.ca/ (do a search on "Sharp")
So they are...
Well, I'm of two minds about this. If people see them THERE, they'll
gain some mainstream publicity, and when someone decides to go with it,
they might decide to call a real professional and get a REAL turbine
instead of getting them at CTC.
And wouldn't you know, though, that it'd be one of those damn AirX's,
too:
http://homepages.enterprise.net/hugh0piggott/gipe/
My other concern, however, is that the collected renewable energy
knowledge in the CTC corporation wouldn't fill an electric kettle, and
it could do serious damage to the reputation of renewables when people
start hanging these things on Canadian Tire supplied broom handles in
the back yard using jumper cables ;-).
Or they'll carry their package to the cashier, get it home, and find
out they also need to go to buy the tower kits, some cabling perhaps as
big as 2/0 depending on where the turbine is going (will CTC know?),
the batteries, the inverter, etc... and their 800$ "cottage" turbine
just passed 5 or 10k$...
Interestingly, that's a VERY GOOD PRICE on an AirX. I'd have a hard
time even meeting it, let alone beating it.
I had my doubts when CTC started rebranding Xantrex's "disposible"
inverters... Now, seeing their claim that their 80watt, 700$ panel is
the "most powerful on the market"... I'm getting the shivers ;-).
Oh, and a fair price on those 80 watters is about 550$...
Ya know, I'm not even sure I would want to GET 80 watt panels. 125s are
the small ones now... I've got three cottage systems to install right
now, and they're all getting Sharp 165s in various numbers of panels...
Ah well. More Than Just Tires" indeed...
DJ
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| Danno 2005-07-01, 11:25 pm |
| On 2005-07-01, DJ <dj_macintyre@hotmail.com> wrote:
quote:
>
>
> And wouldn't you know, though, that it'd be one of those damn AirX's,
> too:
> http://homepages.enterprise.net/hugh0piggott/gipe/
>
I recall reading this article last year. You seem to be fairly hip to the
market; I also recall reading that the Whisper series of SWW turbines were
a product of a different breed, that they did measure up to the specs SWW
claimed, but I can't remember where I found that info. Are you familiar with
the Whispers also? If so, whatya think of them?
--
Solar-powered Linux: Slackware 10.0, 2.6.12, Averatec 3250H1 w/accel S3Uni
RLU#272755
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Danno wrote:
quote:
> You seem to be fairly hip to the
> market;
I have professional interest, yes ;-).
quote:
> I also recall reading that the Whisper series of SWW turbines were
> a product of a different breed,
Yes, they were the result of a business aquisition.
quote:
> that they did measure up to the specs SWW
> claimed, but I can't remember where I found that info.
Well, except for the AirX, it seems, but yes, I haven't seen anything
denegrating the other turbines like happens to the AirX. Bear in mind,
however, there are several versions of each model, as SWW seems to have
bought, then strove to improve, the equipment.
quote:
> Are you familiar with
> the Whispers also? If so, whatya think of them?
I hung an H-80 a while ago for a client, and have many clients who have
the old 403s that they seem to have no problems with. Myself, I have an
old Jake, so of course, none of these new plastic things measures up to
THAT ;-). But I do like them. I am especially appreciative of the
gin-pole tower kits, which really go up well and can use conventional
pipe for the tower.
Like any machine, however, well, they're machines, and need to be
looked after.
DJ
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| On 2005-07-02, DJ <dj_macintyre@hotmail.com> wrote:
quote:
> I hung an H-80 a while ago for a client, and have many clients who have
> the old 403s that they seem to have no problems with. Myself, I have an
> old Jake, so of course, none of these new plastic things measures up to
> THAT ;-). But I do like them. I am especially appreciative of the
> gin-pole tower kits, which really go up well and can use conventional
> pipe for the tower.
>
> Like any machine, however, well, they're machines, and need to be
> looked after.
>
> DJ
>
Thanks for the response.
--
Solar-powered Linux: Slackware 10.0, 2.6.12, Averatec 3250H1 w/accel S3Uni
RLU#272755
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| On 2005-07-01, Danno <TOOmuchSPAM@hotmail.com> wrote:
quote:
>
> I've noticed a Canadian retail chain (Canadian Tire) has started selling
> 400watt Air-X wind turbines, but they are sold as manufactured by Sharp.
> Did Sharp acquire Southwest Windpower recently, or are they just re-badging
> SWW turbines?
> http://www.canadiantire.ca/ (do a search on "Sharp")
>
Just a quick post for the Google archive. Went down and got my hands on
one of the actual boxes, it is indeed an Air-X, but "maunfactured for
Sunforce Inc.", which would be CTC's "solar" line of products. Not quite
sure how the Sharp name fit into the picture, though...
--
Solar-powered Linux: Slackware 10.0, 2.6.12, Averatec 3250H1 w/accel S3Uni
RLU#272755
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| Scott Willing 2005-07-15, 12:25 pm |
| On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 15:48:23 GMT, Danno <TOOmuchSPAM@hotmail.com>
wrote:
quote:
>On 2005-07-01, Danno <TOOmuchSPAM@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Just a quick post for the Google archive. Went down and got my hands on
>one of the actual boxes, it is indeed an Air-X, but "maunfactured for
>Sunforce Inc.", which would be CTC's "solar" line of products. Not quite
>sure how the Sharp name fit into the picture, though...
Probably just a Canadian Tire goof-up.
I used their web form to send a couple of questions, e.g. re the
optional tower kit mentioned in the ad, was it freestanding, how tall
and how much $? I need to put up an anemometer. :-)
I would bet they'll sell a few of these, customers will have problems
with them or simply be disappointed with the output, and they'll be
faced with a swack of returns. I look forward to the big sale.
I also pointed out that their claim of the Sharp NE-80 panel being
"the most powerful on the market" was simply absurd.
-=s
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| Scott Willing 2005-07-15, 6:25 pm |
| On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 09:04:07 -0500, Scott Willing
<NOTwilling2BSPAMMED@mts.net> wrote:
quote:
>On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 15:48:23 GMT, Danno <TOOmuchSPAM@hotmail.com>
>wrote:
>
>
>Probably just a Canadian Tire goof-up.
>
>I used their web form to send a couple of questions, e.g. re the
>optional tower kit mentioned in the ad, was it freestanding, how tall
>and how much $? I need to put up an anemometer. :-)
>
>I would bet they'll sell a few of these, customers will have problems
>with them or simply be disappointed with the output, and they'll be
>faced with a swack of returns. I look forward to the big sale.
>
>I also pointed out that their claim of the Sharp NE-80 panel being
>"the most powerful on the market" was simply absurd.
>
>-=s
Actually that wasn't an accurate quote. Exactly what they said was:
"Delivers 80W of power in sunlight - the
highest powered solar panel on the market."
In any case I just got a note from them indicating that the text would
be revised.
-=s
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