Dec 8 2010
According to the Iowa Wind Energy Association, 80 wind energy companies are established in the state and that the wind energy sector has a lot of potential for growth due to a plentiful supply of wind. The educational institutions too are looking forward to the spurt in wind energy development.
The Wind Technician Program conducted by the Western Iowa Tech Community College (WITCC) has been going on for a year but is planning to get bigger. Currently 25 students have registered for this program but the sustained growth in wind energy segment may increase this number in the future, hence the partnership with the Cherokee Area Economic Development Corporation to take the program to the Cherokee area.
At present, the program is based in Sioux City, but according to officials, most of the wind energy activity is happening closer to Cherokee in Iowa. Dr. Robert Dunker, WITCC’s President, commented that this move would be beneficial to both the Cherokee community and the college. He further mentioned that the community would be able to possess a wind turbine and utilize it for the economic development of that area. The college would benefit by using the wind turbine as an educational aid for its students in the wind technician programs.
Presently, Cherokee Economic Development is considering probable locations for a full scale 1.4 MW capacity turbine by evaluating wind maps. The Cherokee leaders have declared that this is the time to organize and get ready for future growth in the wind energy sector. According to Mark Buschkamp, the Executive Director of Cherokee Area Economic Development, the number of benefits offered by this project after analysis clearly demonstrates that this is going to be great for the community.
WITCC would have to construct a new facility and also make arrangements for housing the students to be enrolled in this program. The project’s feasibility relies on the USDA’s feasibility study giving a positive response. They also hope that the agency would bestow some grants for this project. Buschkamp hopes to have the project ready and operating by the end of 2012.
Iowa Lakes Community College in Estherville has been conducting a wind energy and turbine technology course from 2004 fall. The program has grown from its initial 15 students to 150, and has seven instructors. The facility has been enlarged twice to accommodate the increased numbers. Other than the curriculum, the students also acquire real-life training on the 1.65 MW turbine, located close to the campus.