Solar on Display as Durham Tech Celebrates Sustainability

April 28, 2011 - PRLog -- HILLSBOROUGH, NC - This weekend Southern Energy Management (SEM) is helping Durham Technical Community College host a Sustainability Fair to promote its Sustainability Technologies program. The second annual event at Durham Tech's Orange County Campus in Hillsborough will feature interactive displays, solar-powered live music, facility tours, and more. The session is scheduled for this Saturday, April 30, from 10 am to 2 pm.

One of the new highlights on campus is an 8.2 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system designed to demonstrate for students how various types of technology perform under different conditions. Morrisville-based SEM installed the array in December of 2010; it features 48 Sharp monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and thin film modules.

"It's always exciting to see more people showing interest in solar power, and this type of installation helps make it that much more accessible," SEM's Kyra Moore said. "These students will have a great opportunity for some hands-on experience you just can't get in the classroom alone."

The school has had the Sustainability Technologies program for a couple of years, and it is already garnering a lot of interest. Until now, a group of 18 trained electricians have been the only students allowed to take classes in the program. But starting this fall it will be open to all students as part of the new Renewable Energy diploma. Classes touch on everything from building science techniques to solar installation.

"There is a significant amount of student and community interest in the Sustainability Technologies program," said Carlos Robustelli, director of Orange County Operations for Durham Tech. "The state-of-the-art Orange County Campus, including the new solar arrays, positions Durham Tech and Orange County to develop innovative and practical green training programs and initiatives. This is a growing industry, and having a solar array like this will help graduates prepare for jobs in the new green economy."

The sustainability event on Saturday gets under way in the parking lot of the Orange County Campus at 525 College Park Road, Hillsborough, NC, 27278.

For more information about the Sustainability Technologies program visit http://www.durhamtech.edu/programs/sustainability.htm

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Southern Energy Management is a North Carolina-based sustainable energy company offering energy efficiency, green building and turn-key solar services for homeowners, builders, companies, government and military clients across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. A certified B Corp, SEM's mission is to have a measurable impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change, and to build a sustainable triple-bottom-line company. SEM was founded in a living room in Raleigh in 2001, and now employs a team of more than 90 sustainable energy professionals. SEM is consistently recognized as an industry leader both locally and nationally, and is among a small handful of companies in the U.S. to earn the National Energy Star Partner of the Year award five times (in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 & 2011). SEM also received the 2011 City of Raleigh Environmental Stewardship Award and the 2010 Green Jobs Award from SJF Institute & Green For All. http://www.southern-energy.com