By Katherine McDonald

Central Carolina Community College

PITTSBORO -- The Progress Energy Foundation has awarded a $30,000 grant to Central Carolina Community College for its growing energy efficiency/green building and renewable energy programs.

Rodney Gaddy, vice president for Progress Energy Carolinas' Northern Region, and Marty Clayton, region manager for community relations, visited the college's Chatham County Campus on Jan. 7 to present the grant check to college President Bud Marchant and other college representatives.

"We thank the Progress Energy Foundation for its generosity and its recognition of the importance of energy efficiency and sustainability education," Marchant said. "CCCC is known as Green Central for its focus on education in these areas. This grant will help us to move forward and accomplish even more."

The grant will be used to support the establishment of two laboratories in the college's Sustainable Technologies Classroom/Lab Building, one for energy efficiency/green building and the other for renewable energy.

"Central Carolina Community College is training a work force in green building and renewable energy at its campus in Pittsboro, yet students and staff consistently request more hands-on training," said Laura Lauffer, the college's sustainability coordinator.

"This grant will allow the Sustainable Technologies Building to be used for more hands-on training in renewable energy technologies," Lauffer said. "These additional resources will serve the new green work force we are striving to develop in central North Carolina."

Chatham County is funding the construction of the energy efficient, LEED-certified Sustainable Technologies Building at the Chatham County Campus. The $4 million, 18,000-square-foot building is scheduled for completion in fall 2010. It will house the college's green programs: biofuels, sustainable building/renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, ecotourism, and organic culinary arts.

The energy efficiency/green building lab includes work stations in solar photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies, as well as weatherization stations and green building materials demonstrations. It is designed to feature a mock home shell to demonstrate advanced framing techniques, envelope design, and required thermal and air barriers. Energy auditing equipment will be used to train energy auditors and weatherization experts.

The renewable energy lab allows students to work on photovoltaic and solar thermal systems, creating connections, testing equipment and monitoring system efficiencies.

Central Carolina Community College is the only community college in North Carolina to offer the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) exam. It has been selected by the N.C. State weatherization work force for community action agencies. The college is in the process of becoming a Building Performance Institute (BPI) affiliate, training energy auditors and weatherization experts.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

For more information on Central Carolina Community College's green programs, call the Chatham Campus at (919) 542-6495 or go online to www.cccc.edu/greencentral.