Blackwater Worldwide, the security contractor trying to repair a reputation tarnished by its role in the Iraq war, is getting into the renewable-energy business.

The company next week will reveal the biggest wind-energy project in North Carolina. The 50-kilowatt turbine will generate enough power to power about eight homes when the wind is blowing.

The Blackwater project is tiny compared with commercial-scale wind turbines in other states that are at least 20 times more powerful. But it's a dramatic step for North Carolina, which, despite its windy mountains and blustery seacoast, has long trailed other states in tapping wind.

Currently, the state's biggest wind turbine is a 20-kilowatt demonstration project run by Appalachian State University.

The turbine is only the beginning for Blackwater, a privately held company known for its expertise in turning crises into business opportunities.

Blackwater has faced withering criticism, as well as congressional and criminal investigations, since the September shooting deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians.

Now Blackwater is considering becoming a turbine distributor as it expands its security services and products to include energy independence.

Wind will provide only a small portion of the electricity needs at its headquarters in Moyock, about 190 miles northeast of Raleigh, where it has 450 employees. The complex includes training classrooms, an auto-repair shop, an aviation maintenance facility and a manufacturing facility.

"It's a great way to prepay our electricity bill," said Ted Vogel, Blackwater's alternative energy officer.

The turbine will cost about $170,000 to install and is expected to save about $10,000 a year on Blackwater's $480,000 annual electricity bill.

"We're pretty excited about it," said Ewan Pritchard of N.C. GreenPower, a state program to support alternative energy; it's not involved in Blackwater's wind project.

"If we're serious about renewables in North Carolina, we need to get more wind power online."