By Alex Paul
Gazette-Times reporter | Posted: Monday, May 25, 2009 12:00 am
Donation to LBCC energizes training opportunities
ALBANY - Linn-Benton Community College students will soon have the opportunity to train for careers in the field of renewable energy, thanks to two huge wind turbine blades that rest on the lawn behind the industrial buildings on the main campus in Albany.
The blades were donated to the college by Suzlon Energy Limited and had been in service in Utah, according to Fred Haynes, dean of the college's engineering and technology division. Valued at about $100,000, the donation is the beginning of a partnership with Columbia Gorge Community College in The Dalles.
Three years ago, Columbia Gorge C.C. developed a two-year program to train technicians to repair the giant turbines that will play an important role in the national goal of producing 25 percent of the country's energy needs by renewable resources by the year 2025.
The decommissioned blades are made of layers of composite materials and weigh about 18,000 pounds.
"We believe this is another way we can broaden the skill sets of our students," Haynes said. "We want to give them more avenues, not limit their futures."
Haynes said the turbine blades were offered to all of the state's community colleges, but LBCC was the only one to take the company up on its offer. The college's only expense was for crane time to unload the giant blades from the tractor-trailer, and that was at a discounted rate.
Haynes said although details are being worked out, the goal is for students to take a year of classes in the mechatronics program and then transfer to Columbia Gorge C.C. for the second year of the program.
"Even if we only send three or four students per year, we would be doing our part to help reach the renewable energy goal," he said.
Tom Lieurance is the lead instructor in the Columbia Gorge program. He started teaching electronics at the college in 2002 and said program candidates need to have mechanical aptitude and have strong skills in math and electronics.
"We will graduate our first two-year program students this year," Lieurance said. "We're graduating 14 students. We started with 34, but several took jobs after the first year."
Lieurance said the program started after renewable energy companies approached the college with a need for trained technicians.
"They were having problems finding good people," Lieurance said. "So, I worked on a wind farm for a summer with the idea that I could bring back information to build a program. It turned out to be a pretty good match for our electronics program here. We've also added hydraulics and mechanics along with it."
Lieurance estimated there are at least 1,000 wind turbines in the gorge.
"They are huge, about 260 feet tall," Lieurance said. "They're like a car. If they are well-maintained, they will last a long time. The energy companies hope to get up to 25 years out of them, but they will keep them running as long as they can."
Lieurance estimates more than 350 technicians are needed in the gorge area alone. Nationwide, the demand is for some 10,000 to 15,000 technicians.
"They need to be good at math and be physically fit," Lieurance said. "There is a weight limit of 300 pounds on the ladders in the turbines. My students who have summer jobs at the wind farms don't complain about the climbing. They love the work and the energy companies are saying the students understand more of what's going on in the turbines than some guys who have worked there for a long time."
Students range in age from 18 to 58, with the average age about 35, Lieurance said.
About 80 percent of the technician's job is maintenance such as tightening bolts, changing oil, and cleaning up inside the turbines.
"They are supposed to be kept spotless inside," Lieurance said. "About 20 percent of their job is troubleshooting and most of that is electrical, so they need people who understand electronics. All renewable energy is based on some type of electronic controls."
Lieurance said the full two-year program is about 110 credits and cost is $73 per credit.
Starting pay for graduates is about $15 per hour, but quickly jumps to more than $20 per hour. Lots of overtime is available, he added.
"One of my former students is making $30 per hour because he has a solid background in electronics and has more than three years experience," Lieurance said.
Alex Paul can be contacted at alex.paul@lee.net or by calling 758-9526.