Owens Community College

2/19/2010

The New Year is a celebration of change and renewal, and Owens Community College is offering area residents just that in the form of Green technology training at its new Arrowhead Park Learning Center in Maumee.

Opened for classes earlier this month, the Arrowhead Park Learning Center offers a wide variety of courses in the emerging field of Green technology including photovoltaic, solar hot water heating, green building techniques, wind installation and much more.

The fastest growing renewable energy sector is jobs in the wind turbine industry, and Owens will be offering a certificate in Wind Power Installation to area residents for the first time this spring.

According to the American Wind Energy Association, wind and solar energy are likely to create one of the largest areas of new jobs worldwide. In 2008, there were 85,000 jobs in the wind energy field, a significant increase from 2007, when there were 50,000 jobs.

In addition to classrooms and laboratories, the Arrowhead Park location is the home for the Workforce and Community Services Division, which offers many exciting continuing education opportunities available in the form of traditional classes, short-term workshops and online classes.

“Moving our Workforce and Community Services Division to Arrowhead is an excellent addition to our growing campus. The learning complex will provide convenient access to higher education, businesses and industries,” said Dr. Michael Bankey, Vice President of Workforce and Community Services, which oversees the Green technology field.

Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to produce electricity and traction. This power can then be sold to a utility company, producing an energy credit that allows for an offset in energy costs.

This course will introduce students to wind power-generating equipment, which will allow participants to gain skills commonly involved with the installation of such equipment.

Students will be able to take apart and reinstall the wind turbine located on the Toledo-area Campus, which provides a hands-on learning experience. This turbine is a fully integrated, utility-connected wind generator designed for large businesses, farms, communities, schools, municipal facilities, electric cooperatives and remote locations.

Owens' wind turbine has been generating a huge amount of power in recent weeks. “In a 40-hour period, the turbine has generated over 1,300 kWHs. That's about how much a typical house with common appliances would use in a month,” said Ralph Semrock, Associate Professor of Design Technologies.

Topics covered include understanding wind measurement, estimating power output, economics of wind power, current wind technology and expectations for the future, height and selection of towers, interconnection with utilities, off-the-grid power systems, pumping water, proper sitting of equipment, installation and safety issues. Select mathematical skills are also briefly covered to assure participants have adequate knowledge used in the field.

Owens will be offering the Wind Turbine Installation Certificate program for the first time in February. For more information on this program or other courses offered at the Arrowhead Park Learning Center, call (567) 661-7357.