IROQUOIS - Officials at ReDriven Power Inc. are confident of their young company's continued success, but concede they've recently issued a recall on the blades of 10 turbines installed in the U.S.

Founded in September 2007, ReDriven has made inroads in the ‘small wind' market, selling turnkey tower-and-turbine combinations to U.S. farmers especially.

"We did have a blade problem," said president and CEO Joseph Ianni, when The AgriNews paid a visit to the firm's headquarters inside a former textile mill recently. Ianni added that ReDriven has worked with its blade supplier on a re-engineered design, correcting a flaw that could cause the 6-meter blades to break loose from their hubs.

In a highly critical posting on the anti-wind-power website, windaction.org, former ReDriven dealer Scott Jackson of Chico, California, alleges three instances of ReDriven turbines throwing their blades, one near an Ohio high school, where pieces landed in a football field while school was out, and another at an organic fig farm site in northern California, where pieces wound up in a nearby walnut grove. No one was hurt in the incidents.

The AgriNews, which earlier this year chronicled ReDriven's business plans, recently received an email from Jackson containing a link to his critical posting.

"Anybody who has shown any interest in ReDriven has been contacted by Mr. Jackson," noted Ianni, who confirmed that Jackson was one of the over 100 dealers marketing ReDriven's product. But he added that ReDriven withdrew Jackson's dealership last year, alleging Jackson sold ReDriven turbines to two customers but never installed them. "We felt we had no choice but to terminate his dealership."

While conceding the blade problem, Ianni also alleged that Jackson installed turbines "in precarious conditions" and "in one particular situation" improperly left a turbine in manual mode.

"Once people understand the motivation, Mr. Jackson loses a lot of credibility," he said.

"My concern is, somebody's going to get killed," said Jackson, when contacted by The AgriNews. "These things are blowing apart," he asserted.

While leaving the door open to ReDriven "making our clients whole," the former dealer added that "some court action" has already been initiated on the matter.

He said he has 25 years in the alternative energy and wind energy sectors and offers turbines from a number of different manufacturers. He's lobbying to de-certify ReDriven's product in California.

Ianni said his company strives to correct problems if they arise. "I guess in business, it's how one handles one's problems that makes the difference," he said. "Any customer that has had a problem, we are handling in a timely fashion to make them whole."

ReDriven aims to sell 200 units in 2009, he said, and has recently introduced a taller 80-foot tower for its 20-kilowatt turbine, with 100- and 120-foot towers slated for release as well. "Plus we're launching a 50-kilowatt turbine."

While sales were slow earlier this winter, "April looks to be a banner month," Ianni said.