Even though Ohio is more rust belt than Sun Belt, alternative energy is still very relevant in the Buckeye State, according to Dr. Bob Gilbert, professor of energy technologies at Sinclair Community College.
“During the longest summer day of the year, we have 87 percent of the solar resource in Dayton, as much or more solar resource as Miami Beach, Fla.,” Gilbert said. “This has to do with the affect of latitude on the length of the summer day.”
Sinclair offers programs that combine instruction on alternative energy such as solar and wind power with other areas of energy studies. Meeting the nation’s energy needs is not just about producing more energy from renewable sources, according to Gilbert.
“The biggest bang for the buck is conservation,” Gilbert said. “Turn your lights off, turn your computer off, turn down your thermostat or provide mechanical means to do so.”
For this reason, the Energy Technology Department at Sinclair has developed a program with three key focuses.
“Conservation first, energy efficiency second and alternate energy third,“ Gilbert said. “We designed our program at Sinclair around that pyramid.” The equipment for the program is housed in Sinclair’s energy lab in Building 11. There, students can become familiar with energy efficiency by doing testing on an Energy Star mock up building or gain hands on experience with alternate sources of energy such as solar photovoltaic energy, wind energy and even biodiesel.
The Energy Star mock up is a small building where students can learn to test efficiency and use equipment that manages and stores power.
“Energy Star is a collaboration between the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy,” Gilbert said. “Why it is relevant is that they certify appliances as energy efficient. They also have a scale for Energy Star homes.”
By using equipment to test for air loss, students learn about conducting building energy assessments.
“In residential, the largest contributing factor to heating loss in our area is air loss,” Gilbert said.
Students also learn how the energy industry utilizes the information from the tests.
“Our students are learning software, spreadsheets and so forth so that they can estimate how much a modification is going to cost, how much energy the modification is going to save and payback time,” Gilbert said.
The department currently has a small 320-watt solar array, and is acquiring a three-kilowatt windmill to replace the one-kilowatt windmill that once was perched atop Building 11. Though the solar array only has the capacity to power around five sixty-watt light bulbs, students can become familiar with the technology. The windmill, however, will also be used as a power source for the lab.
“We expect it will be able to operate at least half of the lab,” Gilbert said.
Students interested in alternate energy and building efficiency can earn an Energy Technology certificate in as little as one year or an Energy Management degree that can be completed in two years.