Chris Dunker, Journal Star
Editor's note: This is part
of a regular series about the courses being taught at Nebraska's colleges and
universities, as well as the instructors and students involved in them.
NORFOLK --
Mastering the inner-workings of a nacelle, which houses the gearbox, brakes and
generator that makes a wind turbine a wind turbine, will come in time and
practice.
First, students in Northeast Community College's wind
energy program must master gravity.
Dressed in hard hats and harnesses, the dozen or so future wind turbine
technicians practice rappelling off the side of a decommissioned nacelle
donated to the college program from NextEra Energy. Unlike the 71 turbines of the
Sholes Wind Farm about 30 miles north of the Norfolk campus, Northeast's newest
wind energy lab puts the students about 10 feet off the ground.
To those without experience in a controlled vertical
descent, however, mastering the technique can be challenging. Boots slip on the
nacelle casing, and students roll and pitch on their first tries.
"It's all about setting your weight back and trusting your
equipment," said Alex Junck, of Sioux City, Iowa. "You also have to
bend your knees a little. A lot of people stand up too tall and put their
weight on their toes."
For the rest of the story visit: College Capitalizes on need for wind energy workers