Public Information Office
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: September 6,
2006
CONTACT: Judy Yu, (206) 546-4634 or cell (206) 313-5533
BACKGROUNDER
WSU selects SCC as site for
flagship NW Solar Center demonstration/test facility
 Shoreline, WA ― In early September,
Shoreline Community College (SCC) will become the home for a solar house
designed and built by students at Washington State University in 2005. The
house was entered as part of an international solar decathlon competition to
demonstrate the advantages of a solar lifestyle. The structure will serve as a
demonstration/test facility of the Northwest Solar Center (a WSU program) as
well as a nucleus site for the development of curricula in alternative fuels,
energy conservation, and renewable energy systems at SCC.
New programs
and courses at SCC will provide training for those people interested in working
in the emerging renewable industries, automotive service facilities, utility
companies, or who wish to continue their education at a four-year university in
degree programs such as architecture, construction management and electrical
engineering.
In the fall of 2005, 18 colleges
and universities from around the world participated in the Solar Decathlon
competition and their student-designed and student-built solar
houses were displayed in a solar village at
the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The project was initiated by the U.S.
Dept. of Energy (DOE) in partnership with DOE’s National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, and private-sector sponsors, BP, the DIY Net work, the American
Institute of Architects, Sprint, and the National Association of Homebuilders.
More information on this competition and the WSU house can be found on their
website at
http://www.arch.wsu.edu/solardec/index.html .
SCC President Lee Lambert and the Board of Trustees have
ranked the development of a curriculum that will support a skilled workforce for
emerging renewable industries and utility companies as one of the top
initiatives of the College.
“In this past year Shoreline Community College was asked to join the
National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium and to participate as a founding
partner in the Seattle Climate Partnership,” says Lambert. “We are committed to
raising the level of training and general awareness of the public towards
renewable resources and environmental sustainability.”
This past summer SCC offered the
first two
new
alternative fuels training classes in the state for those interested in
environmentally friendly alternatives to petroleum-based transportation. The
Basics of Biodiesel focused on clean-burning fuel made from plant oils that
works in any diesel engines or home-furnaces. The instructor, an environmental
health educator at the University of Washington, makes his own fuel using
discarded restaurant oil. In the Alternative Fuels: The Future of
Transportation and Energy class, students examined the pros and cons of
alternative fuel transportation options. The Instructor is a sustainability
engineer who specializes in green transportation, building design and energy
production. More courses will be offered this fall.
In October, the College and the
Puget Sound Clean Cities Coalition will co-host the 2006 Washington State
Odyssey Days, an event to heighten public awareness about reducing carbon
emissions to produce cleaner air, energy independence and security and economic
opportunity through the use of alternative fuels and advanced technologies. The
two-day conference and exhibition will also support the creation of an in-state
industry based on domestically-produced fuels as sources of renewable energy.
In February 2006,
SCC was selected by the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC)
as the site of Washington State’s first and only National Training Center. The
new training center will offer automotive service dealers and public safety
organizations standardized training and education on advanced technology, clean
energy vehicles. Courses will also be offered to the public and may be tailored
and offered onsite to meet a particular client’s needs. Additionally,
SCC will offer a variety of alternative and advanced vehicle technology training
for fleet managers, auto shops, first responders, businesses and community
members.
Currently no other Northwest institution offers alternative fuel vehicle
technician training and certification to the general public.
President
Lambert states, “The Pacific
Northwest is leading the way in adopting cleaner technology vehicles, and that
means the number of certified technicians qualified to repair and maintain these
new vehicles must grow, too.”
Last year Washington State was third in the nation for the number of
new hybrid vehicles licensed, while Seattle ranked fifth in U.S. cities with the
highest number of new hybrids (according to R.L. Polk & Company).
To learn more about SCC’s
alternative fuel vehicle training programs, contact Mark Hankins at (206)
546-4758 or mhankins@shoreline.edu.
Shoreline Community College is located at 16101 Greenwood Ave. N. in the city of
Shoreline.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: September 5,
2006
CONTACT: Judy Yu, (206) 546-4634 (campus) or (206) 313-5533 (cell)
MEDIA ALERT
Washington State University and
Shoreline Community College bring solar house to SCC campus
When:
Thursday – Sunday, September 7-10, 2006
What:
Shoreline Community College (SCC) will become the
permanent site for a solar house (designed and built by WSU students) to be the
flagship demonstration/test facility of the Northwest Solar Center (a Washington
State University program.) House panels will be individually unloaded on Sept.
7th, and construction will begin on Sept. 8th.
Where:
Shoreline Community College
16101 Greenwood Ave. North, Shoreline, WA
Who:
Faculty and students from Washington State University and Shoreline Community
College.
Other:
The house has been stored at
Magnussen Park since last fall and will be transported to the SCC campus on
September 7th around 10:00 am. Construction will begin on Friday,
September 8th,
Interviews with the faculty and students who
designed this project are available.
Details about the house can be found on the
WSU website:
http://www.arch.wsu.edu/solardec/index.html
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