Windustry
Windustry is a Minneapolis-based non-profit founded in 1997 that promotes community-owned and small-scale wind energy through education, outreach, and advocacy, serving rural landowners, farmers, tribal communities, and the general public across Minnesota and the Midwest.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersMinneapolis, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Windustry does
Windustry is a Minneapolis-based non-profit organization founded in 1997 by Lisa Daniels, who continues to serve as Executive Director. The organization promotes community-owned and small-scale wind energy through education, outreach, and advocacy, serving rural landowners, farmers, tribal communities, and the general public across Minnesota, the Midwest, and Prairie regions. Its core activities include the annual Wind Energy Center at the Minnesota State Fair (reaching nearly 350,000 visitors over 12 days), webinars, podcasts, the Turbine Talk newsletter, and the #StickWindHere video campaign.
Windustry's underlying technology is a content-and-data platform rather than a software product: the Wind Library catalogs wind ordinances across 65 Minnesota counties, permit toolkits, and educational materials; the Small Wind Toolbox provides planning resources for home and farm-scale projects; and GIS-based Wind Resource Maps visualize wind potential across Minnesota and the Midwest. Since 2014, Windustry has operated the Midwest Wind Energy Center as one of six DOE-designated Wind Energy Regional Resource Centers, partnering with the Iowa Wind Energy Association and accessing NREL research.
As a non-profit, Windustry generates no product or service revenue; its funding is sourced from grants (notably the DOE Regional Wind Resource Center grant in 2014 and the Conservation Media Group Action Grant in 2015), individual donations, and fundraising appeals. Resources are provided free of charge, and the organization depends heavily on a small full-time staff (1–10) supplemented by 50–100 volunteers at signature events. The organization holds a registered US trademark (Windustry®) and has no subsidiaries, parent entity, or commercial distribution model.
Windustry firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Windustry
- Legal name
- Windustry
- Website
- https://windustry.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Windustry is a Minneapolis-based non-profit founded in 1997 that promotes community-owned and small-scale wind energy through education, outreach, and advocacy, serving rural landowners, farmers, tribal communities, and the general public across Minnesota and the Midwest.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Windustry industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Renewable Energy Advocacy
- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community & Distributed Wind Power Generation (Behind-the-Meter/Small Wind) (EUACAFAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Wind Resource Assessment & Energy Yield Analytics (Met Masts, LiDAR, Modeling) (EUAMACAJ), Wind Farm Development & Permitting (Greenfield/Brownfield) (EUACAFAE)
Keywords
Where Windustry is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minneapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Windustry business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Grants and Fundraising: Windustry operates as a non-profit organization funded primarily through grants (including DOE regional wind resource center grant) and public donations. Fundraising activities include events, appeals, and climate rides.
- Donations and Appeals: Individual donations and fundraising campaigns such as the Spring 2019 Appeal targeting specific initiatives like meteorological tower installations
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Windustry product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Windustry is a non-profit organization that promotes community-owned and small wind energy projects through education, outreach, and advocacy. It supplies communities, rural landowners, farmers, and tribal groups with wind energy information, permit toolkits, wind resource maps, and policy guidance, and operates the Midwest Wind Energy Center as a U.S. DOE Regional Wind Resource Center.
Product overview
Windustry is a non-profit organization (not a product company) that provides advocacy, education, and outreach services focused on promoting community wind and small wind energy projects. The organization's offerings consist of programs and initiatives including the #StickWindHere video campaign, Wind Energy Center exhibits at the Minnesota State Fair, the Midwest Wind Energy Center resource program, Turbine Talk newsletters, podcasts, and various educational resources and toolkits for community wind development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Midwest Wind Energy Center (MWEC) Regional wind resource center operated by Windustry in partnership with the Iowa Wind Energy Association, providing educational resources, webinars, and technical information about wind energy development across the Midwest and Prairie regions.
- #StickWindHere Campaign Video-based outreach campaign promoting community and community-shared wind projects, designed to increase access to distributed wind energy initiatives across the United States.
- Wind Energy Center Exhibits at Minnesota State Fair Interactive educational exhibits at the Minnesota State Fair and other venues featuring model turbines, wind resource maps, hands-on activities, and informational displays about wind energy benefits. The 2015 State Fair marked the 10th consecutive year of presentation.
- Turbine Talk Newsletter Regular email newsletter covering wind energy news, Windustry activities, policy updates, and event information for community wind stakeholders.
- Windustry Podcasts Audio content covering wind and solar hybrid developments, industry news, and educational topics related to renewable energy, distributed via SoundCloud.
Quantifiable outcome
- Wind energy can support over 600,000 jobs in manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and supporting services by 2050 (from Wind Vision Report cited by Windustry)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Windustry
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Windustry technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Windustry partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Iowa Wind Energy AssociationcorePartnered with Windustry in submitting the successful DOE grant proposal for the Midwest Wind Energy Center. Collaboration on regional wind resource center operations.
- Conservation Media GroupflagshipAwarded first Action Grant to support Windustry's #StickWindHere campaign for community wind outreach
- KidWind / REcharge AcademiescoreWindustry interns attend KidWind's REcharge training workshop and collaborate on educational exhibits for Minnesota State Fair
- VestasminorSpotlight partner for Minnesota State Fair Wind Energy Center exhibit
- Blattner EnergyminorSpotlight partner for Minnesota State Fair Wind Energy Center exhibit
- GE (General Electric)minorSustaining partner for Minnesota State Fair Wind Energy Center; involved in wind-solar hybrid projects
- 3MminorAllied partner for Minnesota State Fair Wind Energy Center
- Renewable Energy Systems (RES)minorPresenting partner for Minnesota State Fair Wind Energy Center; 200 MW of wind energy built in Minnesota
- Sempra US Gas & PowerminorSpotlight partner for Minnesota State Fair Wind Energy Center; developing wind projects in Minnesota
- United WindminorPresenting partner for Minnesota State Fair; provides small wind solutions and representatives present at exhibits
- WRISE (Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy)minorFormerly Women of Wind Energy (WoWE); rebrand reflects expanded reach across renewable energy sectors; Windustry shares news about organization
- Midwest Solar ExpocoreWindustry partnered with 4th Annual Midwest Solar Expo and Smart Energy Symposium to strengthen regional solar and clean energy economy
- U.S. Department of EnergyflagshipPrimary funder through DOE grants; released distributed wind energy assessment that Windustry promotes and shares with stakeholders
- Northwest Wind Resource & Action CenterminorDeveloped Wind Energy Permit Toolkit that Windustry hosts on their Wind Library
- U.S. DOE Wind Energy Technologies OfficecoreLeads national wind research and development efforts; Wind Vision Report cited and shared by Windustry
- Northern Cheyenne Tribal CommunitycoreDonated 60-meter meteorological tall tower to help determine wind project development for tribal community
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)coreAdministered the competitive process for DOE's Wind Energy Regional Resource Centers; produces wind energy research that Windustry shares
- American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)minorWindustry tracks and shares AWEA news and conference information with stakeholders
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Windustry competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA): U.S. trade association specifically advocating for distributed and small wind energy — Windustry has presented Community Wind Awards at DWEA's Distributed Wind Conference, and both organizations serve the same small/community-wind advocacy niche.
- Iowa Wind Energy Association: State-level wind energy trade group that co-applied with Windustry on the successful DOE Regional Wind Resource Center grant and continues to partner on regional wind education — a directly comparable state-level wind advocacy peer.
- Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA): Nonprofit coalition of state clean energy funds and programs. CESA operates in the same non-profit, education-and-advocacy lane as Windustry, sharing clean energy resources and stakeholder updates, though with a state-funder focus rather than community-wind niche.
- Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC): Non-profit focused on clean energy workforce, regulatory, and consumer-education issues. Operates with a similar non-profit advocacy model and broad renewable energy portfolio as Windustry, though with greater emphasis on solar and interconnection policy.
- Vote Solar: National non-profit advocacy organization promoting distributed solar and equitable clean energy access. Highly comparable in mission (community energy access, education, advocacy), customer base (rural and underserved communities), and business model (non-profit grant-funded advocacy).
- Great Plains Institute: Non-partisan Midwest-based clean energy policy non-profit working on regional energy transition. Comparable geography (Midwest), non-profit advocacy model, and focus on community-level energy development similar to Windustry's regional resource center work.
Broad incumbents
- American Clean Power Association (formerly AWEA): The largest U.S. wind industry trade body covering utility-scale wind broadly. Windustry tracks and shares AWEA news with its stakeholders, and both operate as wind-focused advocacy organizations, though ACP serves the broader industry while Windustry focuses on community ownership.
- Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA): National solar industry trade association. While focused on solar, SEIA operates as a broader incumbent advocacy body analogous to AWEA/ACP for wind, and serves as a useful structural peer for how a renewable energy trade body scales advocacy compared to Windustry's niche approach.
Regional players
- Renew Wisconsin: Wisconsin-based clean energy advocacy non-profit promoting wind, solar, and other renewables. Highly comparable non-profit advocacy model and Upper-Midwest geography, though with broader renewable portfolio rather than Windustry's wind-only focus.
Others
- National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO): Non-profit association representing state energy offices. While not a direct competitor, NASEO operates in an adjacent enabling role alongside Windustry's Midwest Wind Energy Center, sharing policy and program information for state-level renewable energy deployment.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Windustry social profiles
Digital presenceWindustry financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Windustry leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Windustry funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Windustry M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Windustry
What does Windustry do?
Windustry is a non-profit organization that promotes community-owned and small wind energy projects through education, outreach, and advocacy. It supplies communities, rural landowners, farmers, and tribal groups with wind energy information, permit toolkits, wind resource maps, and policy guidance, and operates the Midwest Wind Energy Center as a U.S. DOE Regional Wind Resource Center.
Is Windustry a public or private company?
Windustry is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Windustry founded?
Windustry was founded in 1997. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Windustry based?
Windustry is headquartered in Minneapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Windustry make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Grants and Fundraising is the primary driver. The others are donations and Appeals.
Who are Windustry's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA), Iowa Wind Energy Association, Clean Energy States Alliance (CESA), Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), Vote Solar and Great Plains Institute. Broad incumbents are American Clean Power Association (formerly AWEA) and Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Renew Wisconsin is listed as a regional player. National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) is listed as an others.
Does Windustry have an API?
No public API is recorded for Windustry.
What industry is Windustry in?
Windustry's product category is Renewable Energy Advocacy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUACAFAD, Community & Distributed Wind Power Generation (Behind-the-Meter/Small Wind), with a secondary code of EUAMACAJ, Wind Resource Assessment & Energy Yield Analytics (Met Masts, LiDAR, Modeling). Its NAICS code is 813312 and its SIC code is 8600.