The Mille Lacs Band Gets Into Wind Power

Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe opens a wind turbine manufacturing plant July 9th in McGregor.

The Mille Lacs Band's new Chi Noodin, or "Big Wind," manufacturing plant will produce components for vertical wind turbines called Windspires. The Windspire is described as a low-cost, ultra-quiet vertical wind turbine made by Mariah Power of Reno for residential and commercial use. The Windspire is unlike traditional wind turbines that feature rotating blades, but instead generates power by spinning on a center pole. The Band's Corporate Commission, which invested in Mariah Power earlier this year, has a three-year contract to assemble Windspire parts at the Chi Noodin facility.

The Band has also installed a Windspire on the Mille Lacs Reservation to study its energy output for potential use with both Band homes and facilities.