Sauk waits for OK on wind energy classes
Sauk Valley Community College hopes to introduce a wind energy certificate program by the second semester of the coming year. Students would leave Sauk poised to enter a high-paying, in-demand field: Operations and maintenance of commercial wind turbines. The growth of the wind industry as a whole has just about blown off the charts. At least 14 new turbine manufacturing plants opened last year, as the U.S. installed more than 2,500 new turbines during a record-shattering rush to green electricity. The American Wind Energy Association, a wind-electricity trade organization, estimates that for every 10 to 20 turbines installed, a new full-time maintenance position is created. In Lee and Bureau counties alone, there are nearly 200 turbines planned for installation next year with exploration continuing. Sauk's classes won't be for the feint of heart. The proposed curriculum, currently under review from the Illinois Board of Community Colleges, include climbing up the trunk of a 20-story turbine, then crawling on the top. Technicians strap themselves onto steel rails atop the turbines as winds whip by at hurricane speeds. The crown of a typical turbine is about the size of a two-car garage and houses hydraulics, transmitters, generators and exhaust systems. If the state board approves the curriculum, students will be able to choose one of two tracks: Basic and advanced wind energy certification. Basic would take two semesters; advanced, four. Alan Pfeifer, the Sauk dean who led development of the program, said, "I feel very positive about this Ð there are some real promising things coming out of alternative energies." "Our graduates will be positioned to take good jobs right away," Pfeifer said. "There's just not enough of them." Sauk would be the second college in the state to offer such a program, and Pfeifer estimates that about 15 other colleges and universities offer similar courses nationwide. The American Wind Energy Association, a national wind-energy trade organization, says turbine installation continues to outpace training of technicians. In an attempt to keep up, turbine developers have been training technicians in-house and dispatching them to wind farms. Yet in the world of electricity generation, run-time is the name of the game, and waiting for technicians to arrive Ð sometimes from thousands of miles away Ð costs operators money. They would rather have someone on staff who is qualified to inspect, maintain and repair their expensive and sensitive equipment, Pfeifer said. Sauk initially hoped to offer the classes this fall, but was unable to get the curriculum to the state board in time to make the August start date.
In other action In an effort to capitalize on a perceived demand for the classes, the Board of Trustees is considering a five-to-seven week crash course for the basic certificate during the fall so students can jump right into the advanced program during the 2009-2010 school year. Other actions taken by Sauk Valley Community College Board: - Proposed a balanced 2008-2009 budget, with few differences from this year. The budget is open to public review in the president's office. - President George Mihel reported a 10 percent increase in fall enrollment, and said he believes students are choosing community colleges over four-year universities because of cost. - Adjusted employee policy to provide maximum pay for staff attending jury duty. - Discussed forming a pool of substitute teachers for Sauk instructors absent for several days at a time. (The board will revisit this next month.) - Hired a replacement for former dean of instructional services, Linley White. - Authorized the purchase of a $200,000 generator for the radiology technician program; new equipment will replace inadequate equipment.
