Wind Industry Growth in Oklahoma Spurs Need for Education Programs

By David Page

Five years ago the first two wind farms for generating electricity in Oklahoma began operations. The state now has six wind farms with a combined 420 wind turbines, according to the Oklahoma Wind Power Initiative.

Growth of the state’s wind power industry created demand for a new profession – wind power technicians. To meet this demand, Oklahoma City Community College has developed a new program to train wind power technicians with classes starting this fall, said John Claybon, OCCC corporate learning consultant.

“With additional wind farms being built in west Texas and western Oklahoma, the students in this program will be able to immediately get to work in this important industry,” he said.

OCCC is the only college in the state offering a wind turbine technician program this fall, although other institutions of higher education are developing programs, he said.

Students enrolled in the 22-credit-hour program will study basic electricity, industrial electronics, electromechanical devices, programmable controller systems, instrumentation and control operations and wind energy industry fundamentals.

OCCC consulted with companies generating wind power, including Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co., to develop the program, he said.

“The program was designed to meet the needs of employers in this rapidly growing alternative energy segment and to offer students a rewarding new career opportunity,” Claybon said.

Technicians are expected to earn $30,000 annually or more, he said.

OCCC plans to expand the program next year to include two degree programs – an associate in applied science-technology and associate in science-technology, with an emphasis in wind energy. The credit hours earned in the fall program will apply toward requirements for each degree program.

Initial interest in the program has been strong.

Approximately 50 students are already enrolled for the classes starting this fall, Claybon said.

“I have people just out of high school, college graduates and people in the work force who are looking for a new career,” he said.

Students in the program will be trained to operate wind turbines. Generally one wind power technician will be required for every 10 turbines, Claybon said.

“The technician’s job is to keep the wind turbine up and running,” he said.

OCCC’s training will include working on wind turbine computers, gears and the generator.

“A lot of the training will be computer-oriented,” Claybon said. “The computer controls almost everything in the turbine.”

OCCC plans to use adjunct professors with experience in different skills outlined by industry partners.

“This is a new field,” he said. “There are no wind energy professors.”

Last year, 3,200 new wind turbines were installed across the nation, according to the American Wind Energy Association.

Oklahoma’s wind power generation industry is expected to grow, creating more demand for turbine technicians.

In May, Public Service Company of Oklahoma issued a request for proposals seeking power agreements for an additional 200 megawatts from renewable technologies.

Earlier this month, OGE Energy Corp., parent company of Oklahoma Gas and Electric, and Electric Transmission America, a joint venture of subsidiaries of American Electric Power and MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co., formed Horizon Transmission LLC to construct high- capacity transmission line projects in western Oklahoma for wind farms.

OGE Energy will own 50 percent of the Horizon Transmission LLC joint venture.

The Horizon partnership’s initial projects will include lines from Woodward 120 miles northwest to Guymon in the Oklahoma Panhandle and from Woodward 50 miles north to the Kansas border. The estimated cost for the two projects totals $500 million.

OG&E also is proposing to build a 345 kilovolt transmission line between Woodward and northwest Oklahoma City. That line is planned for completion in 2010.

OG&E owns the Centennial Wind Farm north of Woodward with 80 turbines. OG&E also has a contract to buy power produced by 34 wind turbines at the Oklahoma Wind Energy Center 13 miles northeast of Woodward.

The 80 turbines at the Centennial Wind Farm are computer- controlled and operate in winds from 25-55 miles per hour. Turbines automatically shut down when wind speeds exceed 55 miles per hour for safety reasons.

Electricity generated at the wind farm flows through cables to a nearby substation where voltage is stepped up and delivered to the OG&E power grid.

Students in OCCC’s program have the opportunity to be trained for an environmentally friendly growing industry, Claybon said.

“They have the opportunity to get in of the ground floor and it is in Oklahoma,” he said.

Originally published by David Page.

(c) 2008 Journal Record – Oklahoma City. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.