Thanks to a recent donation from long-time educational affiliation partner, Heritage Sustainable Energy, BZEE US partner Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC) now has a new wind turbine to use for hands-on training at its Wind Turbine Technician Academy (WTTA). An open house was recently held to celebrate the donation and showcase the college’s training facility.
The donation consists of generator, gearbox, systems controls and hub assembly of a 160-foot-tall Vestas V44 turbine. The college’s WTTA provided repairs, upgrades and routine service to the turbine from 2014 onwards. The wind turbine was decommissioned in August of 2022 to make way for a two-megawatt solar field expansion.
“Heritage Sustainable Energy has long supported education and the value of programs that help workforce development. The hands-on training our academy students received by servicing the turbine in the field for the last decade has been an important part of our curriculum,” said Tom Sutton, director of wind energy and technical services for the WTTA. “The value of this industry-education partnership is demonstrated by the placement rates of graduates who are made job ready upon graduation because of the willingness of companies like Heritage who believe in high quality, hands-on education.”
KVCC, located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has been a close BZEE partner since 2009 and has since trained hundreds of wind turbine technicians in accordance with the globally recognized BZEE standard for the rapidly growing US wind industry. More than 96 percent of KVCC’s alumni work in the wind industry, with the majority accepting offers for employment prior to graduation. KVCC offers courses twice a year, in January and July. For more information, visit:
https://www.kvcc.edu/academics/wind/