WINDSPIRE INSPIRES!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Nevada Wind Turbine Maker To Build Windspires In Manistee

MANISTEE - A Nevada manufacturer will partner with a Manistee tooling maker to build more urban-friendly vertical wind-turbines in this Northern Michigan community that will generate hundreds of new jobs after the Manistee County Board approved a $400,000 grant Tuesday.

Mariah Power of Reno, Nevada, approved the partnership with MasTech Manufacturing Inc. in Manistee on Monday night, contingent upon commission approval of the grant, Commission Chairman Allan O'Shea said in an email message to MITechNews.Com. O'Shea also said Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm phoned Mariah Power Owner Mike Hess to assure him his company was very welcome in Michigan. MITechNews.Com was unable to reach Hess for comment on Tuesday.

Earlier Hess had expressed concern that his company's bid to come to Michigan had become a political hot potato after Mariah's bid for a $2 million grant from Michigan's 21st Century Jobs Fund was rejected by a screening board. The screening board, selected by the Michigan legislature, didn't believe Mariah could meet its sales projections, even though the company has a backlog of more than 3,500 orders, or more than a year's production.

With a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant now approved by the Commission, Mariah will work with MasTech to build vertical wind axis called Windspires. The unit stands about 30 feet high and operates with three sets of airfoils that catch wind and rotate around a vertical axis.

The Windspire turns a 20-foot tall rotor that generates electricity, and an inverter converts electricity from direct current to alternating current for residential or commercial use. The unit can generate approximately 2,000 kilowatt hours per year with average winds speeds of 12-mph, and sells for around $5,000, plus installation costs.

The joint venture will create 40 plus jobs initially with the promise of 120 new jobs in this rural region near Lake Michigan within three years. Michigan would be the only place in the world where this cutting-edge, clean technology will be built, said MasTech Operations Manager John Holcomb. Together, Mariah and MasTech will now partner with Mariah to churn out 300 Windspires each month, with plans to expand production to more than 1000 a month by 2011.

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