IOWA LAKES’ STUDENT KEY TO OBTAINING FEMA SUBSTATION FOR WIND TURBINE PROGRAM

Iowa Lakes Community College recently teamed up with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Northwest Iowa Community College (NWICC) to obtain a substation. The substation was used by FEMA to power temporary living facilities which housed residents after a tornado decimated the city of Greensburg, Kans.

A substation is typically used to receive power from a generation source and redistribute that power where it is needed.  The substation ultimately helps to get the wind energy to the power purchasing customers. It also helps to support changes in voltage by keeping the voltage consistent.

The acquisition of the substation enables Iowa Lakes Community college to “complete the whole picture of a wind project for students” says Alden Zeitz, Director of the Wind Energy and Turbine Technology Program.

This is a huge step for Iowa Lakes Community College and the Wind Energy and Turbine Program.

The key person in making the acquisition happen can be solely linked to a current Iowa Lakes Community College student. That is correct; a student. Jerry Henscheid is “solely responsible for allowing us to obtain the substation from FEMA”, according to Zeitz. 

Henscheid was the key person that worked with FEMA throughout the entire process from beginning to end. In addition, he was responsible for making all arrangements in Greensboro, Kans.

Alden Zietz, and his team, enjoyed working with Northwest Iowa Community College and are very thankful for all the help they provide. Scott Meinecke, of NWICC, and his Powerline Program students played a major role in the acquisition. In addition to the labor they provided, they also provided tools and trucks to disassemble the substation.

The process was a fairly quick process and FEMA was impressed that the disassembly of the substation only took one day.

However, the entire process took about a week. While in Kansas, the substation acquisition team stayed at a campground in Dodge City then commuted each day until completion.

The Wind Energy Program students will now have a better opportunity of understanding how a substation works and how substations are used with wind energy projects.

Students helping with the disassembly of the substation were Larry Davis, Jake Smith, Brandon Klekotta, Jerry Henscheid, Kelly Miller, Landon Soukup, Denis Rhodes, Ryan Finke, Loma Roggenkamp, Ed Pietan, Mike Sauck, Mike Gengler, Shannon Lehmkuhl, Rob McNeese, Kevin Burrichter, Dustin Koele, Trever Turner, Noah Larson and Jesse Kinzebach, along with Instructors Scott Meinecke and Al Zeitz.