Students in building trades and electricity learn about wind energy

Posted 21 November 2016 at 5:30 pm
Provided photo: Electricity students at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center in medina learned about wind energy recently. These students, all from Newfane, include, from left: Ethan Knott, Joe Brown and Cameron McGhee.

Provided photo: Electricity students at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center in medina learned about wind energy recently. These students, all from Newfane, include, from left: Ethan Knott, Joe Brown and Cameron McGhee.

Press Release, Orleans/Niagara BOCES

MEDINA –  Students in the Electricity/Electronics program and the Building Trades program recently had some interesting guests at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center.

Representatives from Apex Clean Energy came into the Orleans/Niagara BOCES building and spent time with students in Bill Leggett’s and Matt Anastasi’s classes talking about renewable energy.

The Apex representatives also gave a demonstration on how wind generation and local projects could provide power for thousands of homes.

Cat Strumlauf, Apex public affairs associate, said that there are two proposals on the table in the area: Heritage Wind in Barre and Lighthouse Wind in Somerset and Yates.

“Heritage Wind would generate 200 megawatts of clean energy which is enough to power around 53,000 New York homes,” she said. “The project will bring in millions of dollars in revenue for the county over 30 years and will mean a steady source of income for landowners who have signed onto the project.”

Apex brought in technicians to host a wind blade workshop and demonstrated what wind power could do.

“The students had great time learning about the wind generation business and how they might become a repair technician or installer,” said Electricity/Electronics teacher Bill Leggett. “The creation of the wind foils to get the best efficiency competition was well received by all. Using what they learned in the presentation along with the scientific model to create, test and modify their blades is a good use of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) based learning that we all use at the Tech Center.”

Building Trades teacher Matt Anastasi said the demonstration was excellent.

“The students were actively engaged the entire time,” he said. “It really tied together a lot of what we do here. My students are usually hands-on learners and the students were involved in a friendly competition designing, building and modifying wind foils with some basic office supplies.”

His students saw scientific principles in action that they use in Building Trades.

“One in particular is using Bernoulli’s Principle which is beneficial in our roofing lab, which is the main principle in wind turbines,” Anastasi said.  “Now the students will have a better understanding, and maybe become more interested in wind turbines, considering the building/designing careers that are becoming more in demand now.”

Electricity/Electronics students Joe Brown, Ethan Knott and Cameron McGhee designed a sail in a blade shape with the right curvature to allow it to accelerate at a faster rate

“It was really interesting to see and apply physics principles to a real-world problem, such as wind turbines,” said Elijah Sones, who takes the Building Trades program.

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