Alternative Energy

The federal government's investments in alternative energy sources generated mixed reactions from Washington County residents who spoke with The Herald-Mail about it Wednesday. Hagerstown resident David Beckner, who was painting the side of a building in downtown Hagerstown, said he supported the use of solar panels on houses. "If every home had solar panels on top of it, things would be a lot cleaner," he said. "The government needs to do more things to help out the little people.

HAGERSTOWN -- A $1.79 million federal grant announced Tuesday will let Hagerstown Community College train people for jobs connected to alternative energy. HCC was one of two Maryland recipients as the U.S. Department of Labor awarded $125 million in its final round of Community-Based Job Training Grants. HCC President Guy Altieri said in a phone interview Tuesday that the college began its alternative energy program this spring. About 25 students are taking classes. With the grant money, the college will expand the program by hiring more full-time faculty, adding adjunct teachers and purchasing new equipment.

Ten students from Hagerstown Community College recently found employment in the alternative-energy field. All 10 students are graduates or are enrolled in HCC's alternative-energy technology program, and received training in solar, wind or geothermal systems. Recently employed students include Jeff Grimes of Smithsburg and Stuart Smith of Boonsboro, who were hired by Sustainable Energy Systems; Chris Dellinger and Ryan Ballard, both of Hagerstown, who were hired by Mountain View Solar; David Sanders of Waynesboro, Pa., who was hired by Millennium 3 Energy; Larry Cool of Hagerstown, who was hired by Manitowoc; Terry Mose of Hagerstown and Dale Findley of Clear Spring, who were hired by Cinetic Landis; Carol Seipler of Hagerstown, who was hired by Nexus Energy Homes; and David Smith of Hagerstown, who was hired by Manpower to work on the Washington County solar farm project.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. -- An estimated 1,700-acre residential and commercial development that would be "bigger than Huntfield" and use alternative energy forms like solar power and wind power is being proposed in the City of Ranson, officials said Thursday. The first mention of the so-called Ranson Green development came during a Jefferson County Commission meeting when Commissioner Greg Corliss said people involved in the project briefed officials on it during a Region 9 planning and development council meeting Wednesday at Ranson City Hall.

Solar panels are coming to Hagerstown Community College. Students at HCC toured the solar farm on Roxbury Road on Monday along with staff and faculty as part of the school's collaboration with First Solar that was announced in a press release at the beginning of November. “We're trying to show the students the general building blocks of a utility-scale solar power plant,” said Peter Seidel, First Solar's regional manager of projects. “This fits right in our corporate culture, trying to educate the students and the public about alternative energy.” The tour went through the 20-megawatt Maryland Solar facility, a First Solar project that is in progress, as First Solar explained what was happening.

HAGERSTOWN -- Washington County Technical High School teachers still are hoping to install a wind generator on campus after learning the school was not selected for a $10,000 grant. Alan Zube, a pre-engineering teacher at the high school, has said a wind generator -- which produces energy from wind -- would offer hands-on lessons in energy for students. Zube said officials are pursuing other grants, and the school also has applied for a separate $5,000 grant. However, that would not be enough to get started on the estimated $22,000 project.

U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., stopped by Hagerstown Community College on Monday to hand over a ceremonial check for the school's alternative energy job-training program that he said can help the local work force compete for future jobs. The $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor was announced in June. If the BP oil spill has taught people anything, it's that America needs to become energy-efficient and expand the use of renewable energy sources, Cardin said.

Burrs said the state of the economy inspired him to run for mayor. He said he thinks poor decision-making on all levels of government has contributed to the problems facing Americans. "I just think we need people with a vision for the future, viable strategies and means to build community and ... spur on new job growth in areas like Hagerstown," he said. Burrs said he would seek to bring a fiber-optic cable high-speed Internet system to Hagerstown to help attract high-tech businesses to the city.

Call it a case of multiple personalities. In some ways, Hagerstown Community College's new “energy house” will be the epitome of green living, complete with roof-mounted solar panels, a retractable wind turbine and a geothermal heat pump. But it will also feature some decidedly ungreen features: areas with low-efficiency windows, incandescent lights and poor insulation. The result will be a training lab where students in HCC's alternative energy technology program can learn not only about cutting-edge alternative energy systems, but also how to measure and improve the energy efficiency of typical, ordinary homes, alternative energy technology program coordinator Anthony R. Valente said.

Blue Ridge Community and Technical College will be host an open house on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Technology Center at 5550 Winchester Ave. Community members are invited to attend to learn more about Blue Ridge's offerings, including physical therapy assisting, electrical distribution, mechatronics, green energy technologies, medical assisting and computer networking. This event will provide a number of workshops and demonstrations in various career fields, including examples of methods of producing alternative energy, tours of indoor and outdoor electric distribution pole parks and robotics demonstrations.

Wilson College will host the 5th annual “Energy and You” - a day-long workshop for home and business owners who want to learn how to reduce energy consumption and costs - on Saturday, Feb. 9. This year's theme is “Invest in the Future: Your Energy Options.” The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Brooks Science Complex, with walk-in registration starting at 8 a.m.  John Hanger, who served as Pennsylvania Secretary of...

Solar panels are coming to Hagerstown Community College. Students at HCC toured the solar farm on Roxbury Road on Monday along with staff and faculty as part of the school's collaboration with First Solar that was announced in a press release at the beginning of November. “We're trying to show the students the general building blocks of a utility-scale solar power plant,” said Peter Seidel, First Solar's regional manager of projects. “This fits right in our corporate culture, trying to educate the students and the public about alternative energy.” The tour went through the 20-megawatt Maryland Solar facility, a First Solar project that is in progress, as First Solar explained what was happening.

Ten students from Hagerstown Community College recently found employment in the alternative-energy field. All 10 students are graduates or are enrolled in HCC's alternative-energy technology program, and received training in solar, wind or geothermal systems. Recently employed students include Jeff Grimes of Smithsburg and Stuart Smith of Boonsboro, who were hired by Sustainable Energy Systems; Chris Dellinger and Ryan Ballard, both of Hagerstown, who were hired by Mountain View Solar; David Sanders of Waynesboro, Pa., who was hired by Millennium 3 Energy; Larry Cool of Hagerstown, who was hired by Manitowoc; Terry Mose of Hagerstown and Dale Findley of Clear Spring, who were hired by Cinetic Landis; Carol Seipler of Hagerstown, who was hired by Nexus Energy Homes; and David Smith of Hagerstown, who was hired by Manpower to work on the Washington County solar farm project.

Blue Ridge Community and Technical College will be host an open house on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Technology Center at 5550 Winchester Ave. Community members are invited to attend to learn more about Blue Ridge's offerings, including physical therapy assisting, electrical distribution, mechatronics, green energy technologies, medical assisting and computer networking. This event will provide a number of workshops and demonstrations in various career fields, including examples of methods of producing alternative energy, tours of indoor and outdoor electric distribution pole parks and robotics demonstrations.

Call it a case of multiple personalities. In some ways, Hagerstown Community College's new “energy house” will be the epitome of green living, complete with roof-mounted solar panels, a retractable wind turbine and a geothermal heat pump. But it will also feature some decidedly ungreen features: areas with low-efficiency windows, incandescent lights and poor insulation. The result will be a training lab where students in HCC's alternative energy technology program can learn not only about cutting-edge alternative energy systems, but also how to measure and improve the energy efficiency of typical, ordinary homes, alternative energy technology program coordinator Anthony R. Valente said.

The federal government's investments in alternative energy sources generated mixed reactions from Washington County residents who spoke with The Herald-Mail about it Wednesday. Hagerstown resident David Beckner, who was painting the side of a building in downtown Hagerstown, said he supported the use of solar panels on houses. "If every home had solar panels on top of it, things would be a lot cleaner," he said. "The government needs to do more things to help out the little people.

Two years after Washington County's zoning rules were changed to allow small wind- and solar-power generating systems for on-site use, the county is now considering allowing larger, grid-linked solar-energy generating systems in certain rural districts. The proposed changes to the county zoning ordinance are the subject of a Washington County Planning Commission public meeting scheduled for Monday evening. Under the proposed amendments, the larger solar-energy generating systems would be allowed as a special exception in the Agriculture (Rural)

Alternative energy companies and applications are beginning to generate electricity and jobs in the Tri-State area and, while those technologies will not replace traditional energy sources in the near term, Hagerstown Community College is betting the future for people who can design, install and service those systems is bright. "I work in finance, but I've been interested in this for a long time. Clean energy makes sense," said Chris Mumma of Hagerstown, who stopped by HCC's Valley Mall Center on Saturday to check out windmills, solar panels and other displays for the college's Alternative Energy Technology Program open house.

Public comment open on wind, solar energy Residents have until Sept. 4 to comment on proposed new regulations for allowing wind and solar energy generators in the City of Hagerstown. Hagerstown's planning department has proposed updating city code to include language for alternative energy sources, according to Clayton Zug, city planning inspector. Planning Director Kathy Maher said the city is not overwhelmed with requests for alternative energy permits. Rather, it is updating the city code to prepare for if and when those request start rolling in, she said.

U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin, D-Md., stopped by Hagerstown Community College on Monday to hand over a ceremonial check for the school's alternative energy job-training program that he said can help the local work force compete for future jobs. The $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor was announced in June. If the BP oil spill has taught people anything, it's that America needs to become energy-efficient and expand the use of renewable energy sources, Cardin said.