USA - VAWT Manufacturing, Inc scores wind turbine contract

A McKinney company signed an exclusive contract Monday with the Netherland-based company Home Energy to manufacture wind turbines for all of the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean.

McKinney-based VAWT Manufacturing, Inc. will manufacture the V100 Energy Ball wind turbines -- 800 to 1,000 the first year -- that resemble a small airplane engine and produce 4 kilowatts each of energy. The company hopes to begin production by the end of this year, company officials confirmed.

The turbines will be manufactured at the McKinney-based company Vector Systems. The two companies are not related but do have similar ownership and common managers, Vector System vice president Smith said.

"We'll be manufacturing wind turbines in McKinney and we hope we can hire 10 to 12 employees," he said. "We hope we can go beyond the wind turbines as Home Energy is totally devoted to renewable energy products and produces solar energy collectors and biomass products."

The McKinney Economic Development Corp. worked with VAWT before it relocated to McKinney and David Pitstick, corporation president, isn't surprised the company landed the deal.

City manager Frank Ragan said that the development of the turbines will attract attention to the growing "green," or environmentally-friendly identity in McKinney.

The city is even considering using a wind turbine to generate electricity at the city's Fire Station No. 8 that will be built in southwest McKinney, Ragan said.