The windmill that stands tall beside I-93 in Dorchester is about to get a companion north of the city, in Medford.

The city is erecting a 100-kilowatt turbine at the McGlynn Middle School, with help from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and Mass. Energy, among other funders.

Mass. Energy chief Larry Chretien spoke about the project last week at the group's annual meeting, but I'd heard of it previously as well, when I attended a global warming cafe in Medford at the beginning of November. Chretien said Mass. Energy gave $100,000 toward the project, but won a commitment from Medford's mayor, Michael McGlynn, to reinvest the money in solar, once the turbine had generated enough power to pay for itself.

The turbine will be 131 feet tall and is expected to generate 170,000 kilowatt hours per year, or about 10% of the school’s electricity, according to insidemedford.com.