Solar Concentrator Heats up the Haywood County Fair

Josh Knight and Bryan Ray adjust the solar concentrator at the Haywood County Fair.  Concentrated solar power (CSP) systems, are systems that use mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight, or solar thermal energy, onto a small area. Electrical power is produced when the concentrated light is converted to heat which drives a heat engine (usually a steam turbine) connected to an electrical power generator.

Solar energy is just one of the topics in their class, ALT 120 Alternative Energy, in the EET program at Haywood Community College.  The class is currently building solar hot water units. 

Welding Student Dustin Cornelison Wins Sequoyah Fund Community College Business Plan Competition

Dustin Cornelison turned his belief in living a sustainable and frugal lifestyle into an award winning business plan. Drawing upon his past experience as a sustainability technician for an environmental education center and his acquired skills as a welder and blacksmith, Cornelison, along with his wife Sara Martin, have implemented a plan to turn their farm, Two Trees, into a model of sustainable practices. “We are selling the farm life style,” he said. “We hope to demonstrate self sufficiency and furnish people with the tools and knowledge to live off their own land.”
HCC Student Dustin Cornelison Wins Sequoyah Fund Community College Business Plan Competition