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Fact Sheet

Alternative Energy Links

U.S. Department Of Energy

Attention teachers! Are you ready to bring alternative energy to your classroom? Lansing Community College is co-sponsoring a workshop with the Fuel Cell Store this Fall 2006. It's designed for teachers who wish to incorporate alternative energy education into their curriculum. With this conference, you'll be able to educate your students about the hydrogen economy, renewable energy and careers in this new and exciting field.   This 1 1/2-day conference is designed for K-14 science and technology teachers and school administrators. You will leave with a curriculum kit and fuel cell model for your classroom.  For more information, go to the conference website at www.H2Conference.com Hot Topic on WJR Lansing Community College's hydrogen fuel program and its students were recently featured on WJR's radio program Big Story.  Listen to the live interview   [ LISTEN - mp3 ]    hydrogen celL alternative  fuels geo thermal wind turbine solar biomass What is Alternative Energy? Hydrogen and other Alternative Fuels, Geothermal, Wind, Solar, Biomass - New Energy comes in many forms. It is the product of the latest research and traditional energy sources. New Energy is about sustainability and independence, and smarter more efficient technologies. Glossary: Renewable - A renewable energy source is defined as any energy source that is replenishable and replenished on some reasonable time scale. Renewable energy sources include, but are not limited to wind, solar, heat from the earth's interior, oceans, rivers, and biomass. Renewable material sources include, but are not limited to wood; grass fibers, plant-based plastics, fuels and 100 percent recycled content metals, papers, plastics and glass. Sustainability - There are hundreds of definitions of sustainability and sustainable development, but the best known is the one first coined by the United Nation's World Commission on Environment and Development. It suggests that development is sustainable where it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Source: Sustainable Research Group (Grand Rapids, MI)

On Nov. 17, 2004, the Department of Energy announced it was committing $1 million to Lansing Community College as part of an Alternative Energy Initiative. The initiative is designed to spur economic development and educational opportunities in mid-Michigan and statewide in a variety of alternative methods to provide power, including the use of hydrogen powered fuel cells, wind, solar, biomass, hybrids and more.  LCC and the State of Michigan hope to become a national model in the education and training of energy technology technicians. 

Lansing Community College's specific charge is to increase the viability and deployment of hydrogen fuel cell and renewable energy technology by creating an integrated educational program that will promote comprehensive training for all alternative energy applications.  The project involves four critical tasks:

1.      Curriculum development designed to meet current and future needs of research and industry.  The curriculum goal is for students graduating in the energy technology program to be prepared to pursue jobs with their two-year degree, or to be able to seamlessly transfer into engineering programs at LCC's partnering institutions:  University of Michigan, Wayne State University, Kettering University and Lawrence Technological Institute.  This program begins in Fall Semester 2005.

2.      Faculty development and teacher preparation to train instructors to teach alternative energy at the K-12, colleges, universities and businesses across the country as well as to integrate alternative energy into existing programs such as auto, heating and cooling, electrical and computer aided design.

3.      Community education and outreach to enhance industry partnerships, inform decision-makers and increase the general public's knowledge and acceptance of alternative or new energy.

4.      Designing, constructing and equipping alternative energy laboratories that will be used for education, demonstration and various pilot programs.  LCC is in the process of building a fuel cell lab, a hydrogen fuel station and an automobile internal combustion engine powered by fuel cell technology.  Plans call for the demonstration site to be a showcase of alternative energy applications for business and industry, K-12 and college students across the country.  The demonstration labs are all housed in Lansing Community College's new West Campus, which is heated and cooled via geothermal technology, and will feature an information and communication kiosk for public use that will be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.