(Estherville)– Iowa Lakes Community College’s Wind Energy and Turbine Technology program has received another boost.
College officials say they teamed up with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Northwest Iowa Community College to obtain an electric substation.
Officials say it was used by FEMA to power temporary living facilities that housed residents after a tornado decimated the town of Greensburg, Kansas.
A substation is typically used to receive power from a generation source and redistribute it to where its needed. It also helps get wind energy to the power purchasing customers, and helps keep voltage consistent.
Al Zeitz, Director of ILCC’s Wind Energy and Turbine Technology program, says the acquisition of the substation enables the college to “complete the whole picture of a wind project for students”.
Zeitz says a current student at Iowa Lakes, Jerry Henscheid, worked with FEMA throughout the entire process and was responsible for making the necessary arrangements in Greensboro, Kansas.
Powerline students at Northwest Iowa Community College provided labor, trucks and tools to disassemble and reassemble the substation.
The whole process took about a week to complete.
