NICC wind turbine tower is installed for the school's maintenance program

NICC Calmar students enrolled in the Wind Turbine Repair Technician program will now be able to train on an actual wind turbine tower.

A tower from a Dutch wind turbine was installed Thursday at the Calmar campus.  The 96 foot tall tower gives NICC students a chance to practice climbing skills on an actual tower.

Although the blades and nacelle will not be assembled onto the wind turbine tower, the tower gives students an opportunity to learn climbing safety, harness safety and rescue procedures, and also become climb-certified. Said NICC wind turbine instructor Kevin Hoetzle in an earlier interview with decorahnews.com, "Having this hands-on training and learning the fundamentals at NICC will give students the tools they need to succeed in the wind energy industry"

The $186,700 cost of the tower, nacelle, blades and their installation were covered under a $2 million U.S. Department of Labor Energy Training Partnership grant, and $366,666 in Accelerated Careers in Education (ACE) grant funding paid for the concrete platform to support the tower. In January 2010, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded the grant funding to NICC, East Central Intergovernmental Association (ECIA) Business Growth, Inc., and many other employment and educational entities, to train new workers to enter "green" careers in northeast Iowa.  NICC dedicated over $933,000 in funds from the initial grant to design the Wind Turbine Repair Technician curriculum, hire and develop faculty, and to support direct scholarships for students enrolled in the program. The grant and additional funding also created green training programs as part of the college's Continuing Education division.

The second section of the tower is installed Thursday

A cross-section of the tower