Morrisville State College Renewable Energy Training Center Schedules First of Four-Part Wind Technician Workshop Series

Morrisville State College's Renewable Energy Training Center (RETC) is hosting two sessions of a four-part series of wind technician workshops to prepare workers for site assessment, installation, and maintenance of small wind turbines at the residential and farm scale.



Small Wind Energy Technician Training (SWETT) —I. Safety Training, will be held March 31 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Small Wind Energy Technician Training— II. Wind Site Assessment and Systems will be held April 1-2, from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.



Both will be held at the RETC in Shannon Hall, room 104B.



Two additional workshops on SWETT wind installation and SWETT wind maintenance and troubleshooting are also planned. All wind technician training workshops meet North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) certification recommendations.



Small Wind Energy Technician Training (SWETT) — I. Safety Training, targeting contractors, electricians, engineers, architects, homeowners, farmers and current wind turbine owners, is a one-day wind safety course that covers the basics of tower climbing and safety equipment, safe and proper use of common wind tools and equipment, and general safe practices around small wind systems.



Identification of electrical and mechanical safety concerns, mitigation of public safety concerns and environmental concerns, and emergency preparedness are also covered. Participants will gain hands-on practice utilizing the RETC's indoor climbing tower.



Tuition for the course is $300 with scholarships available for most participants. Students who successfully complete the course will receive 6.5 PDH and .65 CEU.



Small Wind Energy Technician Training—II. Wind Site Assessment and Systems for contractors, electricians, engineers, architects, homeowners and farmers, is a two-day course that includes discussions on energy load estimation and electrical energy efficiency at the residential level, wind resource assessment, potential wind turbine locations, site plans, tower heights/types, and wind system options.



Calculating wind power, monthly and yearly energy, interconnection with the grid and incentives will also be discussed in addition to determining appropriate wire runs, calculating payback periods and basic wind energy system economics.



The cost of the course is $450 with scholarships available for most participants. Participants who complete the course will receive 13 PDH, 1.3 CEU.



Both courses will be taught by Joseph Swaha and Derek Sabin, of Sustainable Energy Developments, Inc. (SED).



Swaha is the director of construction and a co-founder of SED. A certified wind turbine installer in New York, he manages wind system installations for residential and commercial projects.



Sabin is a construction foreman responsible for all aspects of small/residential wind turbine construction including siting, civil, electrical and structural work.



To register online, go to www.retc.morrisville.edu. For additional information, contact Betsy Busche at 315-684-6391 or e-mail her at retc@morrisville.edu.



Morrisville State College's RETC is a multi-county alliance of employers, training providers, economic development partners and K-12 schools to address the long- and short-term needs of New York state's high-growth, high-demand renewable energy sector. It is funded in part, by a grant under the President's Community-Based Job Training Grant Initiative administered by the United States Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration.