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Calhoun to start clean energy program [The Decatur Daily, Ala.](Decatur Daily (AL) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dec. 09--Calhoun Community College is putting itself on the forefront of cutting edge green technology with a new clean energy program. A $3.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor is funding the school's Alabama Center for Excellence in Clean Energy Technology. Interim Director Jerry Adams said the center will train students for green technology jobs like photovoltaic systems, a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors, renewable energies, heating and air conditioning systems and electricity. Adams said the center will offer three tiers of education: Associates degree in heating and air conditioning or electricity with a concentration on renewable energies. --Short-term 23-hour certificate on renewable energies. --Short-term certificate on green and renewable energy awareness. Class will be offered on weekends for eight hours. The college plans to renovate the building that most recently housed Tennessee Valley Rehabilitation. The $2.5 million to $3 million project is to begin in March. Originally a military barrack built in the 1940s, the building is one of the college's original buildings. Adams said crews will have to gut and renovate it. Once completed the renovated building will feature four classrooms and a 7,000-square-foot lab. The lab will include the latest Energy Star appliances for demonstration. The building will use 100 percent recycled water through a rainwater collection system and the latest lighting. Solar panels will provide at least 50 percent of the power. PH&J Architects Inc. is handling the project. To see more of The Decatur Daily, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.decaturdaily.com Copyright (c) 2010, The Decatur Daily, Ala. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com, e-mail [email protected], or call 866-280-5210 (outside the United States, call +1 312-222-4544) |