Alternative energy not so alternative anymore as polytechnic proves to be powerhouse - battery energy storage system

In the near future, someone will have to sit down and start brainstorming for alternative energy projects at the North Alberta Institute of Technology.
Maybe Jim sandcock will do the job.
After all, he is the chairman of the project.
The reason should be quite clear.
"There will be no other option in the next five years," he said . " There was a big smile on his face.
"This will be the mainstream.
"This project is forever.
The shining example of continuous development shows how the Institute of Technology can cope with the needs of industry and the pressure of the government to fill the province's future employment gap.
NAIT's journey is the only Polytechnic in Western Canada that offers facial careto-
The face diploma, which specializes in designing and applying alternative energy solutions, began in 2009, a year after the global financial crisis shook the global economy, just as oil prices began to fall freely.
The rest of the world-
States in Germany, Denmark, Norway and the United States. S.
Like California.
The move to new green technology has begun, and all the indications are that, just as Alberta and Canada want oil to be king forever, strong environmental and economic reasons are being put forward for alternative energy options.
The government was forced to think outside the box.
Renewable energy is no longer seen as the power sector, especially the solar sector, and it is no longer seen as a hobby for people living outside the grid or those living in real remote areas.
It is also becoming less expensive in renewable energy technologies.
The cost of solar energy is also falling as oil prices fall.
"With more deployments, more manufacturing, more economies of scale, and more learning how to do things more effectively," said Sandercock . ".
Then the hybrid solution.
Solar, geothermal, biogas, wind, and current battery storage.
"In terms of our deployment of renewable energy, Alberta is now far behind the rest of the world for good or bad," he said . ".
"So a lot of people in Alberta are thinking about using solar energy as an appliance that can give us a product --electricity.
"This is a good starting point, but there are a lot of places in the world that are working on the hybridization of these systems to give you a better solution.
The focus now is on energy storage.
Sandercock says the cost of lithium-ion batteries is "falling significantly", making it easier and cheaper to generate and store power.
Technology is becoming more and more mature.
In terms of producing mature technologies such as solar and lithium-ion batteries, manufacturing companies are shortening their learning curve, which in turn helps to reduce costs of up to 30 per year.
The focus now in the field of alternative energy education is to ensure that there are sufficient qualified technicians and auditors to meet the needs.
Two sets of application pressure-
NAIT continues to strengthen the annual diploma programme.
In the last academic year, 214 applicants competed for 24 places, with 196 applicants this year.
Continued demand means they will add new admissions in January to the number of admissions in September.
Determining the future gap in the employment sector has always been the industry, the government and the post
Secondly, all the signs from the industry suggest that they can smell the changes in the wind.
"We 've been trying to find a crystal ball for everyone," says Joel kinrich, dean of the school of trade and technology at the school of red deer.
"But everyone's crystal ball is a little fuzzy.
"We look out as much as we can, but realize that our ability to look out is only as good or limited as the organization that works in these departments.
This year, due to the needs of the Central Alberta industry, the Red Deer College began to offer a diploma in instrument engineering technology, the third engineering technology to supplement mechanical and electrical products.
Red Deer College is also building a $9 million Alternative Energy Innovation Lab that provides students with a living environment to hone their skills and knowledge.
The establishment of the laboratory stems from the promotion of the college itself to a greener educational space.
While an overall energy plan has been developed to help reduce energy costs by 20, it has narrowed its own carbon footprint and led to new ways of educating students that they want.
"It's radical, but you 've developed a series of activities and initiatives that support this, and hopefully you'll be able to look back in five years and think, 'Wow, we got some very vice president here.
Jim Brinkhurst, president of college services.
The construction of the laboratory is expected to be completed in early spring, and the laboratory should be ready for the fall of 2018.
Lessons can be learned from the past, says Brinkhurst.
15 years ago, when the local heat became large, industrial and educational workers failed to meet the demand.
"A lot of people just hang up their wooden tiles and say, 'Oh yeah, we can install these (geothermal)
But they found that many of the systems were not installed properly and did not install them the way they should, in part because they did not install them well
"Trained professionals do the job," he said . ".
"That's why moving forward is so critical.
"We must have good
Trained professionals are there to install and maintain the system because the risk is that if the system is not doing well and the business and industry do not see a return on investment, they may not be adopted with a success rate.
Jgraney @ postmedia. comtwitter. com/jurisgraney