College introduces students to high-altitude wind power work

NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) — Mastering the inner-workings of a nacelle, which houses the gearbox, brakes and generator that makes a wind turbine a wind turbine, will come in time and practice.

First, students in Northeast Community College's wind energy program must master gravity.

Dressed in hard hats and harnesses, the dozen or so future wind turbine technicians practice rappelling off the side of a decommissioned nacelle donated to the college program from NextEra Energy.

Unlike the 71 turbines of the Sholes Wind Farm about 30 miles north of the Norfolk campus, Northeast's newest wind energy lab puts the students about 10 feet off the ground.

To those without experience in a controlled vertical descent, however, mastering the technique can be challenging, according to the Lincoln Journal Star . Boots slip on the nacelle casing, and students roll and pitch on their first tries.

"It's all about setting your weight back and trusting your equipment," said Alex Junck, of Sioux City, Iowa. "You also have to bend your knees a little. A lot of people stand up too tall and put their weight on their toes."

By the second attempt, which requires them to crawl under the nacelle and into a hatch before shimmying around the generator and control system and then emerging on the top of the machine, most of the students have gotten the hang of it.

John Liewer said the lessons on rappelling off the nacelle, which was taken out of service from a wind farm in Minnesota, have taken the place of rappelling from the mezzanine level of the campus building where classes are held.

The practical skills lab, WIND 1085, is offered alongside the Wind Energy Fundamentals class, WIND 1080, an introductory course to the industry, how wind energy is generated and the economic, environmental and political...