DACC receives $95K IGEN grant
Oct. 5—DANVILLE — DACC's commitment to preparing students for careers in environmentally friendly energy fields just took another leap forward.
Already a leading educator in wind technology and solar energy, the college will soon add geothermal energy to its portfolio of "green technology" training programs. On Sept. 28, the college received a $95,000 grant from the Illinois Green Economy Network to purchase equipment to train students in repairs of geothermal units. IGEN is a consortium of state community colleges with a mission of promoting a clean environment.
In the Danville Campus Tech Center, DACC has four geothermal units that work like air conditioners but draw from underground water to operate. According to Jonathan Daugherty, professor for heating and air-conditioning repair at the college, "DACC's geothermal units are extremely energy efficient because they retain the same water in a closed loop."
According to Professor Daugherty, there is a high demand for employees who are able to repair geothermal units. "I'm asked all the time to train students in this field. I know of an apartment complex in Danville that has 50 geothermal units that are used to supply air conditioning throughout the building. For students at DACC learning repairs in HVAC, geothermal maintenance would be an additional credential they will have for their future careers."
Even so, repairing geothermal units is tricky.
"The wiring and circuitry are packed in really tight," Daugherty said. "What we need is a training board similar to what we use for repairing traditional HVAC units."
DACC's liaison with IGEN, Brandy Marron, applied for geothermal training equipment and got word on Sept. 27 that the geothermal project would be fully funded. Marron is also an agriculture professor at DACC and personal experience in "green technology," as evidenced by the aquaponics demonstration farm she introduced for DACC students more than two years ago.
"I appreciate Jonathan's commitment to exploring geothermal energy as an environmentally friendly HVAC," she said. "Evidently, too, the IGEN committee was also impressed with Jonathan's proposal."
The grant is extremely competitive among Illinois community colleges. Business & Technology Dean Terri Cummings said, "IGEN received more than 30 grant applications, and we were one of a dozen to receive awards. We truly appreciate our partnership with IGEN.
The same vendor that supplies DACC with training equipment for its wind-energy program (Amatrol) will fabricate a training board that displays all of the components within a geothermal unit. The grant will also fund training software for diagnostic trouble-shooting.
"The computer program will cause 'faults' in the units that students will have to find and repair," Daugherty said.
For more information about DACC's HVAC program, contact Dean Terri Cummings at (217) 443-8786 or DACC's admissions office at (217) 443-3222.
