Print
Add to Quick List
Nick Durling
The First in His Field
It's exciting. It's a constant change. I am learning something new every day.
Nick Durling
Nick Durling says it feels great to be making history as one of the first graduates of NSCC's inaugural Energy Sustainability Engineering Technology (ESET) program. "To be the first in my field, I'm one of a kind!" he says with a laugh.
The ESET program prepares students to work in the rapidly expanding field of alternative energy, including solar-thermal, wind, biomass, geothermal, tidal and other renewable energy systems. "I think there should be more of us doing this and it helps the earth by reducing our carbon footprint," explains Nick, who admits he wasn't the most environmentally conscious person before enrolling in ESET.
The 21-year old Middleton native is a graduate of the Electrical – Construction and Industrial program at NSCC's Kingstec Campus. He landed a job immediately after graduating but found himself considering his options during the construction season's traditional slow-down. Then he heard about ESET.
"It was breaking new ground and not many people knew about it at the time," says Nick. "Everyone just thought with my background as an electrician I could do well at it so I took the risk and ending up liking it quite a bit."
ESET teaches learners about energy audits of existing conventional heating and lighting systems as well as energy efficiency improvements for residential and commercial buildings.
"We learned about wind and thermal energies and the different technologies that can be used," explains Nick. "We learned about building houses with proper insulation values and windows, about conserving energy and energy master plans."
He spent his first co-op term at Scotian Windfields, a developer and operator of renewable energy projects ranging from traditional large scale wind farms to smaller installations that provide renewable energy directly to an energy user onsite. Nick will stay on with Scotian Windfields after he graduates.
"It's exciting. It's a constant change. I am learning something new every day," says Nick. "I analyze buildings and try to see how much energy we can save. It's a good industry with good people and I can see myself in it for a long time."
« back to Success Stories index
Was this page helpful?
