SLCC students seeing bright future with solar power class

KEARNS — Mix hands-on training with the latest innovations of solar power and you get a bright and sunny future for college students looking for a niche in the job market.

Twenty Salt Lake Community College students welcomed Utah Gov. Gary Herbert and other dignitaries to celebrate the culmination of their solar panel project at a home in Kearns on Saturday.

"We have an emerging demand for energy efficiency," Herbert told the group. "We're finding new opportunities to partner together and find solutions to challenges we're facing in the marketplace. I think this is a wonderful example of what we can do — unprecedented partnerships."

Students are enrolled in an advanced photovoltaic systems class, which is one of the first solar-installation classes offered by SLCC as part of its Green Academy initiative. SLCC wants to train entrepreneurs and workers to compete in an emerging renewable energy economy.

Tim Ularich, who teaches the systems class at SLCC, said of the solar installation project, "You can talk about it, you can look at pictures, but until you've actually done it once, you really don't have that complete hands-on learning experience," he said.

Mark Jacobsen, an electrical contractor in Clearfield, said he is taking the SLCC class so he can get his solar contractor license. "It's the wave of the future. A lot of people are going solar. It's clean. It's easy to put in," he said.

Jacobsen added, "Solar isn't just for rich people who want to show their friends how green they are."

The house, at 4821 S. 4860 West, Kearns, will be on the market for approximately $165,000. Besides the solar panels, the three-bedroom, 1.5 bath, built in 1954, is being retrofitted with increased insulation and energy-saving light bulbs, as well as high efficiency furnace, windows, water heater and appliances.

"This can be a reality in Utah for everybody," said Nichole Dunn, Salt Lake County deputy mayor.

Salt Lake County partnered with Community Development Corporation of Utah on the home project. The house was purchased with help from an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. The goal is to buy homes, retrofit the houses with energy-efficient upgrades, then put the houses on the market.

Go to www.slcdc.org/ for more information.

In Herbert's inaugural address, he said his three priorities are energy development, the economy and education. "All three of those areas converge here in this project," he said at Saturday's event.

Rep. Eric Hutchings, R-Kearns, said, "This is the future. This is where we're going to go."

Utah Solar Energy Association helped launch solar classes at SLCC. Saturday's event also launched the association's annual Utah Solar Tour, set for Sept. 12 in northern Utah and Sept. 26 in southern Utah. This year's tour features three dozen homes and businesses with on-site electric and solar-thermal production. Go to www.utsolar.org for more information.

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