Power of SUNY

Clinton Community College Employs Nation's First Wind Simulator Classroom Training Unit

In Oct. 2010, Clinton Community College revealed the first and only wind simulator classroom training unit in use anywhere in the nation.

The new piece of equipment, called the Turbine Nacelle Troubleshooting Learning System, or Nacelle, is designed by Amatrol of Jeffersonville, Indiana, and is a unique training platform specifically designed to train wind turbine technicians doing utility scale wind.

According to Amatrol, a lot of schools are doing wind, small residential wind, but few are doing utility scale wind. The Turbine Nacelle Troubleshooting Trainer was designed to replicate the functions of full size utility scale wind turbines. Student trainees need experience with a wide variety of conditions and break-fix situations because it is not practical for students and faculty to tinker with utility-scale turbines that are in-service. Without a state-of-the art trainer like this one that experience could takes many years. With this trainer, CCC students can manipulate turbine features including Turbine Control Unit, Gear Assembly, Yaw Brakes, Parking Brakes, Rotor Lock, Turbine Control Software, Wind Simulator, Fault Insertion, Cable Twist Box, Anemometer, Hydraulic System, and Yaw Drive.

In addition to the Nacelle, the college has four more new training system units in the technology classrooms of the Stafford Center. These training units directly benefit students studying Electrical, Environmental, Clean Room and Industrial Technology programs offered at Clinton as well as further complimenting the Wind Energy and Turbine Technology program training.

The equipment purchases were made possible through funding from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and funds were made available from both the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) and NYSERDA to attend the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) conferences and training for the newly purchased equipment in Louisville, KY.