Kaady Car Washes Installs Wind Turbine

Kaady Car Washes has installed a wind turbine at one of its Vancouver, Wash., locations. Owner Chuck Kaady said he is hopeful the turbine will generate 2,500 kilowatt hours each year, or about 25 percent of an average home’s annual power consumption.

The turbine is capable of producing 3,800 kWh per year based on an average wind speed of 15 mph, the company said in a press release. An average home uses approximately 10,000 kWh per year.

The $20,000 investment is the Portland, Ore.-based company’s first use of clean energy at any of its 16 carwash locations. Other environmental practices used by Kaady facilities include water reclamation and computers to control power consumption.

“Clean energy is now an extension to the other environmentally friendly aspects of our business,” Kaady said. “We want to continue to be on the leading edge of our industry in helping protect our planet.”

The wind turbine is manufactured by DonQi Quandary Innovations of The Netherlands in collaboration with the National Air and Space Laboratory and the Delft University of Technology. The units are distributed in the United States by HALO Renewable Energy.