The Van Straten Brothers began designing the X320 portable power system
BARAGA COUNTY -- Baraga County still has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country, but now a local manufacturing company has created a new product that could put dozens of residents back to work.
The Van Straten Brothers began designing the X320 portable power system last November.
Complete with the company's patented slipstream turbine, solar panels, and a fuel-powered generator, the energy unit can produce 20 kilowatts of continuous power.
The turbine quickly lowers and the solar panels' fold in making the product ideal for transport to emergency locations.
"We have a lot of interest, everyone from FEMA to Homeland Security to hopefully the Department of Defense. It's a product that has a lot of potential growth," said George Van Staten, co-owner.
The company plans to refine their prototype and hopes to have it on the market this summer.
Depending on production demands, it could create anywhere from 20-50 new jobs.
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