State & Stakeholder Newsletter, June 30, 2010

Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Volume #9, Issue #13
Editor: Jane Pulaski

The IREC State & Stakeholder Newsletter is a foremost resource for current information on green workforce training, credentialing programs, state activities and best practices on renewable energy and energy efficiency. This free newsletter is distributed semi-monthly to email subscribers and published on IREC’s website.  If you have comments or if you would like to submit a news item, email Jane Pulaski.  To subscribe to this newsletter, click here and follow the instructions.

If you want the best news about what’s going on in the states and cities, read the State & Stakeholder Newsletter (June 30, 2010)

From the editor:

Good teaching matters

There’s no doubt that content is essential to effective training, but translating that content into useful and helpful information may be even more important than the content itself.  Like Edith Ann says, ““I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.”

According to Dr. Barbara Martin, a former professor in the College of Education at the University of Central Florida and at Kent State University in educational technology and educational psychology, subject matter experts (SME) are indispensable when developing training courses.  “SME’s have technical skills and practical knowledge that are necessary to help non-expert students learn.  However, SME’s are rarely professional educators,” she said.  “They may not know to organize and present information, and they may not know how to develop and use tests and evaluation instruments to improve student learning and to improve the quality of the course.”

With the proliferation of renewable energy and energy efficiency training opportunities from San Diego to Sandusky, finding the right combination of the content and effective teaching  methods is a challenge but doable, if you know what to look for.  Whether you’re an educator or a student, you’ll want to read Martin’s piece, Good Teaching Matters, highlighting five important teaching practices that can improve the quality of a training course.

It’s big news in the small wind industry.  The Small Wind Certification Council (SWCC) now has 13 turbine models in the certification queue to AWEA’s Small Wind Turbine Performance and Safety Standard.  According to SWCC’s Executive Director, Larry Sherwood, the first turbine will be certified by Fall 2010.  Most of the turbines with pending certification applications will receive certification decisions in 2011.

Though next week is July 4th, IREC kicks off its Fall 2010 webinar series on July 20th with  Justin Barnes of the N.C. Solar Center at N.C. State University discussing  state policies and trends based on DSIRE research and IREC’s Larry Sherwood will discuss his much anticipated solar installation trends in the United States.  Other webinar topics include PACE financing, community solar, fire codes and workforce development.  The Fall 2010 webinar series runs through December.

July 16th is the deadline to submit applications for IREC’s 2010 Innovation Awards.  This year, IREC will present awards in six categories: small wind, clean energy workforce development, community renewables, clean energy financial incentives, clean energy regulatory policies, and clean energy ARRA projects. Projects must have been completed during 2009.

The 2010 Innovation Awards will be presented at IREC’s Annual Meeting on Monday, October 11 in Los Angeles. Long recognized as one of the most comprehensive one-day events that address updates and trends in state and local renewable energy issues, top state and national experts will discuss net metering and interconnection, clean energy workforce education, credentialing, best practices in state policies, and national solar market trends. As always, IREC’s Annual Updates and Trends Report will be distributed.  We’re saving a place for you!

Read the State & Stakeholder Newsletter, June 30, 2010

Jane Pulaski