By Tara Jeffrey, from www.theobserver.ca The Observer
June 25, 2011
When Thomas Chona was seeking the best education when it came to alternative energy and technology, he didn’t need to look any further than Lambton College.
“Lambton was the only place to offer exactly what I wanted,” said the 51-year-old native of Zambia, Africa.
Chona, who began his career in banking, fell in love with alternative energy, and moved to Canada to pursue his dream.
He enrolled in Seneca College’s solar photovoltaic technician program, then moved on to Lambton College’s alternative energy program, where he just completed his second year.
Chona is also a research student, and has been heavily involved in the development of the college’s new sate-of-the-art Sustainable Smart Home, which was unveiled Friday.
The home boasts a passive solar wall, a thermal mass wall, day lighting, exterior heath block awning, a solar water heating system, a solar photovoltaic system, a solar air heating system, green roofing and a geothermal heating and cooling system.
“This is like a dream come true for me,” said Chona, who, last year, returned to his native village in Africa to install a solar panel system on his former school.
“I love having the flexibility of using different kinds of technologies anywhere I am, whether it be in North America, or in Africa.”
Chona joined many other students, faculty, staff and community leaders for the grand opening ceremony for the $1.2 million facility, located on the northwest side of the campus, next to the Early Childhood Education day-care Centre.
“We’ve been in production on this house for more than two years, trying to figure out what are the best technologies for the students, and what makes sense for the community,” said Judith Morris, vice president, academic and student success, noting that the centre will serve as a learning lab, an applied research lab and a community demonstration centre. “The community will be able to come in, look at what we’ve got here, and get a look at what might work in their own homes.”
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