WASHINGTON, DC – As the House Energy and Commerce Committee enters its third day of proceedings examining proposed climate change legislation, Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) highlighted KVCC’s new wind certificate program as we seek to expand our use of renewable sources of energy to combat climate change.  Upton, top Republican on the Energy and Environment Subcommittee, is a strong supporter of renewable sources of energy including wind and solar and believes that they are an important part of the solution as we seek to reduce carbon emissions.  Upton is a leading advocate for KVCC’s wind energy curriculum, and is seeking funding this Congress to boost the program that will help create jobs in southwest Michigan.

“I applaud KVCC moving forward with its wind energy technician curriculum, allowing students to get a jumpstart on their studies in wind energy in a matter of weeks.  Soon we’ll have fully-qualified, homegrown wind technicians ready to help boost our economy and protect the environment with emissions-free energy ,” said Upton.  “Climate change is a serious problem that necessitates serious solutions.  Everything must be on the table – particularly renewable sources of energy like wind and solar, nuclear power and clean coal technologies.  The potential for renewable wind energy in southwest Michigan is great – not only for our local energy supply, but for our local economy as well.  Wind turbines throughout southwest Michigan will not only power our communities, they will help power our local economic engine and create jobs.”

KVCC will launch its program to train the coming generation of wind energy technicians in the fall, with students able to get a jumpstart by enrolling in prerequisite courses during the summer semester.  While they can prepare for this curriculum by enrolling in summer courses that begin May 18th and run through August 10th, the classes that apply directly to wind-energy technology will begin with KVCC’s fall semester scheduled to start on September 8th.

Among the chief instructional tools will be the 145-foot, 50-kilowatt, commercial-sized wind turbine that towers over the college’s technical wing on the Texas Township Campus and a 1.8-kilowatt model that is designed for residential purposes.   A wind-turbine lab in KVCC’s nearby M-TEC will also be part of the learning equation.  Through courses in applied electricity, electrical machines, programmable logic controllers, fluid power, the operations, maintenance and repair of wind turbines, the mechanical systems in these turbines, and the generation and distribution of power, students will be introduced to the technical standards in the industry.

Upton is also a strong supporter of  KVCC and WMU’s collaboration in developing a Wind Energy Center to help create jobs and foster the creation of start-up businesses involved in various aspects of producing energy from wind, including manufacturers, designers, distributors, and repair companies.

Source:  News release from Congressman Fred Upton