Education/training
Power generation close as your backyardIn a world that is increasingly power-hungry, Ontario is wrestling with the challenge of determining where our future megawatts of electricity will come from. MARK TOLJAGIC |
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 [ 2005-11-30 ] |
Centiennial College students helped to instanll a 30-metre tower with three anemometers at Progress Campus, adjacent to Hwy. 401, in August. The site is being considered for a wind turbine next year.
Will there be more nuclear generating stations, or are we going to burn more coal or natural gas to make our electricity -- at the cost of releasing additional greenhouse gases that will throw our climate out of whack?
Almost every option requires heavy investment in massive facilities that nobody wants in their backyard. But what if we could break down the task of producing electricity into small components that would actually fit in everyone's backyard?
That's the promise of wind and solar energy and, thanks to new technologies, the prospect of making electricity at home -- where you use it -- is growing ever more real.
Already, countries such as Germany and Holland have invested heavily in windmills and solar panels, so much so these alternative-energy sources are displacing traditional sources of energy.
Electricity-market deregulation here in Ontario is creating a brave new world for enterprising companies and consumers that want to make their own electricity ("distributed generation") and sell it back to their local hydro utility.
But while the regulatory framework makes it possible, a shortage of technicians with the right skills has prevented this budding energy sector from growing as quickly as it could.
Centennial College is addressing the lack of distributed-generation technicians with two new post-graduate certificates in wind or solar energy generation, conversion and control. The courses are offered in the evenings to allow working tradespersons to continue earning an income while gaining new skills.
"Solar-panel installers are having a very hard time finding people with the right set of skills," says Herb Sinnock, who is co-ordinating the new courses. "Traditionally, this technology has been used in remote areas. Centennial is focusing on energy systems in urban environments."
With wind and solar systems potentially feeding into the local power grid, there's a concern that the new sources may compromise the integrity of the entire electrical network. "The distribution system has to be protected; that's what properly trained technicians can ensure," Sinnock says.
To be eligible for the courses, students are expected to be already certified as a millwright, stationary engineer or industrial or residential electrician. Alternatively, they may possess a three-year diploma or degree in mechanical, electrical or related engineering or applied science discipline.
Consisting of six evening courses, Centennial's post-graduate certificate programs can be completed in as little as one year starting this January.
The college is also planning a full-time program in Integrated Energy Systems Technology that may launch next fall, pending approval. The program will introduce post-secondary students to solar, wind, hydro, biomass and other distributed generation systems that can be readily integrated into commercial and residential buildings.
Centennial has already installed a 30-metre anemometer tower next to Hwy. 401 to measure the wind energy coming off 16 lanes of traffic. This innovative project sets the stage for a wind turbine to be built next year, one that students will be able to study and maintain as part of the upcoming program.
For more details about Centennial's part-time courses in wind and solar energy generation, e-mail windandsolarenergy@centennialcollege.ca or call 416-289-5000, ext. 2712.
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