Students Focus on Renewable Energy During 2009 Santee Cooper Environmental Internships
July 29, 2009MONCKS CORNER, SC – July 29, 2009 – Twelve South Carolina college students spent their summer getting dirty as part of Santee Cooper’s prestigious environmental intern program.
“I love to be outside and this was the only internship that actually promised hands-on experience,” said Allison Knaak, a Presbyterian College student and Wellford native who is participating in the 2009 program. “I have gotten dirty, muddy and sunburned but it definitely beats working in a cubicle all summer.”
This internship isn’t for the faint of heart– interns work for two weeks each in four areas that include conservation and renewable energy, analytical and biological services, environmental services, property management, vector management, investment recovery, right of way management and air quality.
“Hands-on experience and application is a crucial part of the learning process,” said Jay Hudson, manager of environmental management. “Through the environmental internship program, Santee Cooper is taking this a step further by allowing the interns to work in several departments that make up our corporate environment.”
Other interns include Natasha Bell of Spartanburg, a student at Clemson University; Tripp Berry of Summerville, a Clemson student; Anna Dilworth of Columbia, who attends the University of South Carolina; Casey Johnson of Aynor, a student at Clemson; Travis Lunn of Hartsville, who attends Clemson; Vonel Teragene of Mullins, who attends Morris College; Kylie Roberts of Myrtle Beach, a student at Coastal Carolina University; Jay Bishop of Greenwood, a student at Clemson; Josh Oden of Ridgeville, who attends Clemson; Denise Bachmann of Elgin, who attends the University of South Carolina; and Emmett Dalton of Columbia, a student at Clemson.
The interns also took part in a research project for utility President and Chief Executive Officer Lonnie Carter. The project examined the feasibility of alternative and renewable energy sources in South Carolina. Santee Cooper has a goal of generating 40 percent of its energy by 2020 from non-greenhouse gas emitting resources, biomass fuels, conservation and energy efficiency.
“The project drew its focus from the proposed renewable energy legislation. The interns researched what types of renewable energy work for South Carolina, as well some costs associated with each,” said Marc Tye, Santee Cooper vice president of conservation and renewable energy. “It reinforced what we already know—that South Carolina has limited options for significant renewable energy generation that is also affordable, and it gave the interns valuable experience researching such an important and timely topic.”
The interns said the project was informative.
“I was shocked to learn that South Carolina is not a desirable location to use either solar or inland wind power,” said Bachmann. The state’s inland wind is too weak to turn large turbines, and haze and humidity filter the sunlight so that commercial-scale solar energy is impractical.
Environmental interns are appointed by members of Congress and the state General Assembly. The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina also appoints one intern each summer. More information about the annual program is available on the utility’s Web site, www.santeecooper.com.
Santee Cooper
Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s state-owned electric and water utility and the state’s largest power producer, supplying electricity to more than 163,000 retail customers in Berkeley, Georgetown and Horry counties, as well as to 29 large industrial facilities, the cities of Bamberg and Georgetown, and the Charleston Air Force Base. Santee Cooper also generates the power distributed by the state’s 20 electric cooperatives to more than 700,000 customers in all 46 counties. Approximately 2 million South Carolinians receive their power directly or indirectly from Santee Cooper. The utility also provides water to 137,000 consumers in Berkeley and Dorchester counties, and the town of Santee. For more information, visit http://www.SanteeCooper.com. For information on how Santee Cooper lives green and how you can go green, visit http://www.SanteeCooperGreen.com