Mitchell Technical Institute is getting a donation of equipment from NextEra Energy. The tech school is expecting an expansion of their Wind Turbine program with this donation.
NextEra Energy is donating nearly $1,000,000 worth of equipment to Mitchell Tech to help students learn more about wind power.
The equipment includes two power nacelles, the powerhouse of the turbine, as well as two rotor hubs.
Julie Brookbank is the Assistant to the President at Mitchell Tech. She says this donation will help give students hands-on experience when learning about wind power.
"With this donation from NextEra Energy, having these nacelles, and these hubs, and these various components at ground level where the students can work safely, and learn how to actually perform the mechanical and maintenance tasks, will be a great enhancement to the program.”
Brookbank says previous lessons of wind turbine mechanics were taught in the classroom with an occasional tour of a turbine that Mitchell Tech owns for students.
Roxanne Reyes is a communications specialist at NextEra Energy Resources. She says the company donates to several educational institutions across the country.
"Hopefully, coming full circle, donating this equipment to universities, we get to train the students, and then, once they get the opportunity to get in the field, it would be great to hire them at some of our sites.”
NextEra owns three wind farms across the state near Hyde and Day counties, as well as Wessington Springs.
The equipment comes from a decommissioned wind farm in Minnesota.