ACC Technicians Critical to Emerging Industry, Experts Say
Wednesday, March 4 @ 10 a.m. | ACC Riverside Campus, 1020 Grove Blvd.

AUSTIN, Texas, March 2, 2009 – The Austin Community College District will join government, industry, and workforce development leaders at the Riverside Campus 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 4, to dedicate a solar energy system that will increase access to renewable energy job training.

The solar energy system was funded through DOE’s Solar America City award, presented to the City of Austin in 20071.

“ACC’s growing renewable energy program is a timely response to the energy and global warming challenges facing us all,” says Dr. Stephen B. Kinslow, president/CEO of ACC. “As Central Texas positions itself to become a leader in renewable energy, ACC serves a unique role by developing the programs that will train hundreds of workers for the future.”

ACC partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy and Austin Energy install 2.4-kilowatt photovoltaic systems––each featuring a solar array and GridPoint’s smart grid technology––to serve as teaching tools at two campuses, Rio Grande and Riverside.

The dedication will include a variety of speakers and demonstrations. Renewable energy students will showcase the power of solar energy on the city’s brand-new solar powered scooters called “Ego.” They will demonstrate how to install a rooftop solar panel. And, the Department of Energy will be on hand to discuss new funding initiatives.

With community partners, ACC assists local industries by developing programs in high demand careers ––training registered nurses and healthcare professionals to work in area hospitals, video game developers, auto repair specialists, and now renewable energy technicians.

Some 400 individuals have enrolled in ACC’s renewable energy program, which is in its third year. ACC also offers the only NABCEP-certified solar power installer classes in the region.

“We are very excited about what we have created here,” Kinslow says.

ACC started renewable energy training in cooperation with Austin Energy, the publicly owned utility that serves the majority of customers in the Austin metropolitan area. Austin Energy is working aggressively to convert a greater percentage of its power generation to solar and other renewable energies. One of the critical issues for Austin Energy and others in the energy industry is the need for skilled technicians.

“These training programs are critical to Austin’s goal of growing our renewable energy portfolio,” says Austin Energy General Manager Roger Duncan. “Not only do they provide the technicians needed today but will establish a talent base that can help set the stage for local renewables manufacturing.”

The U.S. Department of Energy is also working with local entities to increase the shift to cleaner, renewable energy sources.

According to Tom Kimbis, director of the Solar America Cities program, “What we are witnessing in Austin is the combination of government, industry and education working in concert to remove the barriers to solar adoption. It’s these partnerships that will drive the highly skilled, renewable energy workforce of tomorrow. We’re pleased the Department of Energy’s selection of Austin as a Solar America City, and its funding, have resulted in such tangible results within such a short time period and look forward to ongoing work in the city.”

The ACC solar energy systems are a leap beyond previous education installations because of GridPoint’s software platform, which allows utilities to manage energy to increase efficiency, avoid power outages, and integrate renewable energy.

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About the Austin Community College District (austincc.edu):
ACC, Central Texas’ community college, is the primary gateway to higher education and career training for residents in eight counties. The college provides access to affordable, quality education. ACC enrolls more than 35,700 credit students, offering university transfer courses, two-year associate degrees, certificates, Early College Start, access programs that get students “college-ready,” and continuing education. At ACC you can “Start here. Get there.”

1About the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar America City award:
Austin, TX is one of 25 U.S. cities named as a Solar America City by the U.S. Department of Energy. DOE recognizes Solar America Cities as partners highly committed to solar technology adoption at the local level. The awards are intended to accelerate solar adoption in cities-our nation’s electricity load centers-by supporting cities’ innovative efforts with financial and technical assistance.  More information is available at: www.solaramericacities.energy.gov.

About Austin Energy: Austin Energy is the 9th largest public power electric utility in the country with more than 397,000 customers and revenues of more than $1 billion. Austin Energy has led the nation for the last six years in a row for sales of renewable energy by a utility-sponsored program. The Utility also offers one of the most comprehensive energy-efficiency programs in the country. Austin Energy’s goal is to produce 30 percent of its generation needs by 2020 from renewable energy sources and to also have 100 megawatts of solar power in its portfolio by the same date.

About GridPoint: GridPoint, Inc., a leading smart grid company, is the pioneer of an innovative software platform that aligns the interests of electric utilities, consumers and the environment through an intelligent network of distributed energy resources that controls load, stores energy and produces power.  The platform applies information technology to the electric grid to enable smart grid solutions including energy efficiency, load management, renewable integration, storage management and electric vehicle management. On the Net: www.gridpoint.com.