Two professional development seminars for Coachella Valley middle and high school teachers were held on July 29 to provide an introduction to renewable energy technologies and present ways the technologies can be used to motivate and teach students fundamental science, engineering, and math lessons. 30 teachers participated in the training conducted by the DSN at the Desert Energy Enterprise Center.

Outcomes:

Teachers from the region gained a better understanding of what clean energy sectors are growing, how the technologies work, and how they can integrate the underlying science and math into their classrooms while motivating students to extend this learning to other science subjects.

As part of building effective educational pathways for energy, the DSN is currently organizing the fifth annual KidWind Challenge.

This is a regional student competition involving teacher professional development and the forming of student teams that build, test, and present wind turbine designs. The program begins with teacher training and curriculum resources. Teams then compete in the Challenge event.  Last year’s event had the highest turnout so far, with 99 middle school and high school students participating in the competition.
On November 15, the teacher workshop preparing for the 2015 Challenge was conducted. A special effort was made to include teachers from the Inland Empire portion of the region. 25 teachers participated from 10 school districts throughout the region. Additional structured activities for teachers and their students, featuring a variety of technologies, are being planned in the coming year to encourage student engagement in science and engineering.

Outcomes:

Middle school and high school faculty participated in professional development that provides curriculum resources followed by structured activities to engage students in the science and engineering of an important regional clean energy technology.

Two workshops are being organized for the purpose of disseminating a best practice in career pathway development.

One workshop will be held in Riverside and the other in San Bernardino.   Representatives of Coachella Valley Economic Development’s Workforce Excellence team will be presenting the Industry Councils they have established to align middle school and high school programs with economic development goals.  Dates will be selected in January or February.

Outcomes:

These workshops will be conducted in order to present strategies and methods that have been successful with CVEP’s industry councils to leaders in selected locations of the Inland Empire.

Trends

Trends that were identified by the region’s Advanced Transportation Advisory Group included: (1) the growing number of Electric Vehicle (EVs) and Hybrid Vehicle models in the retail market, (2) use of EVs and Hybrids by fleet operators, and (3) the number of Hybrids coming out of manufacturer warranties. Based on these trends, the Advisory Group recommended that instruction on EV and Hybrid systems become an integral part of the region’s college automotive programs. Because a number of our region’s automotive programs are not currently covering these systems, a training series was put together for regional college and high school faculty. 17 faculty members participated. Additional professional development training may be scheduled depending on faculty needs.

Outcomes:

A follow-up assessment of the value and current use of the training curriculum will be conducted in December and January. College and high school programs will use a common curriculum for EV and Hybrid vehicle training, which will result in program alignment responding to industry advisory recommendations.

An important sector of the solar energy industry are the utility-scale projects being constructed.

These projects, mainly in desert regions of the United States, have become significant additions to the nation’s electricity grid. Last year, more than half of the new electric power generation added to the grid was from solar energy and most of that was from utility-scale solar power plants.

The DSN in the Inland Empire/Desert region, Larry McLaughlin, has been working with utility-scale renewable energy developers to ensure that skilled workers are available to support this growing sector.

Foundational Skills for Power Generation Program

Based on input from a number of these companies, he is collaborating with three desert region community colleges to establish a Foundational Skills for Power Generation program to train more entry level workers with the appropriate skills.
In addition, he is bringing college and industry partners together to facilitate hiring these skilled workers. For example, on November 19, a job fair will be held at Palo Verde Community College in Blythe to bring in students trained in Palo Verde’s solar course to hear about job opportunities at the McCoy solar project now beginning constructed and to complete applications.
The goal is to get Blythe residents employed in the next major solar project for the good of individuals, their families, and the community’s economy.

College of the Desert won the Green Leadership Award for the Desert Energy Enterprise Center (DEEC) in the Curriculum category from the publication “Green Technology” in Pasadena, CA.

The Managing Editor, Racquel Palmese, noted, “Our Advisory Board was extremely impressed with the whole project. It’s an honor to help spread the word about your efforts in sustainability.”
John Jaramillo, Dean of the School of Applied Sciences and Business, received the award at the ceremony which took place during the Green California Schools and Community Colleges Summit on November 5 at the Pasadena Convention Center. Read More →

For the second year in a row City College of San Francisco’s Department of Advanced Transportation and Renewable Energy partnered with GRID Alternatives to bring training from the classroom to the rooftop by installing solar for a low-income homeowner in the community. This month, a new group of excited students hit the roof to get hands-on training all while giving back to the community!
Max Parsley, instructor at the Advanced Transportation and Renewable Energy Department, participated in the installation as well. He says, “The students loved the chance to install a ‘real’ system and to see, or put to use some to the things I tell them in class.” The unique opportunity for students to engage in a real project allows for them to see details they would otherwise not be exposed to; some of which include anchoring quality, safety issues, and exposure to the latest technology.
Sponsored in part by the U.S. Department of Energy SUNSHOT Solar Instructor Training Network, the City College of San Francisco students brought their classroom skills to the rooftop and helped provide the gift of solar to Marine Corps veteran and San Franciscan native, Johnny Carr! With the help of these students, Johnny has a new 3Kw system that will produce nearly $24,000 in direct energy savings over its lifespan.
In alignment with our workforce development efforts to bring energy technology training to those who need it most, GRID Alternatives has 70+ job training partners — from community colleges, nonprofit job training groups and veterans organizations to local government agencies.
Click here to see the original article.

COD Students Part of the Team

By Sammy Roth, The Desert Sun
The Desert Sun 10/27/2014 Page : A01
Download newspaper PDF here.

Workers with GRID Alternatives install solar on a low-income home on Cottonwood Road in Palm Springs. — Jay Calderon/The Desert Sun