Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Bond would aid a new, renewable-energy program

Photos and story by Dana Haynes

Got a note this week from Sanda Williams, an instructor in PCC’s Electronic Engineering Program. Sanda writes, “I would like to bring to your attention that PCC will have a Renewable Energy Systems degree at Sylvania. It is an Electronic Engineering option expected to be approved in a couple of weeks or so.”

By “approved,” she means the state of Oregon OK’s certain degrees offered by community colleges.

Anyway, this is huge. Renewable energy is incredibly popular in the Northwest and the rest of the nation. Everyone is talking about it, from our campus to the presidential elections.

Green is the new black. And in Portland, you can’t be too green these days.

“Our technicians will work in the manufacturing and/or servicing of all renewable energy systems,” Sanda goes on to say. That includes wind equipment manufacturing and servicing, solar manufacturing equipment, solar installation and solar systems design, fuel cell equipment, etc.

That’s in the offing right now for Sylvania. If the bond measure should be OK’d by voters in November, Sanda’s department would see some improvements that would allow for an even more robust renewable energy program.

PCC soon will be at the forefront in training people for the green jobs that seem likely to be a large and growing sector of the Northwest economy. Voters in November could give that new endeavor quite a boost.

Send your feedback to dana.haynes@pcc.edu. And thanks in advance.