Driven by a keen interest in renewable energy and a passion to use his engineering skills for more than just advancing the extraction of non renewable resources, Rob got involved with interest groups in Calgary in sustainable design and renewable technologies. He quickly started acquiring contracts in the renewable energy industry aside from his full time contract position with an Oil and Gas firm.
Rob enrolled in six distance education RETScreen® courses (Biomass, Solar Air, Solar Water, MicroHydro, CHP and Wind) for completing feasibility studies of renewable energy technologies and became proficient in TRNSYS® simulation software. This advanced modeling program is capable of performing transient thermodynamic simulations for a broad range of mechanical systems including solar, biomass and combined heat and power.
Rob participated in a six month engineering study analyzing the feasibility of heating a town of 800 homes and 200 businesses in Southern Alberta through the use of a Hybrid Solar-Biomass District Heating Facility. His role involved optimizing cost and energy output of a 21MW biomass boiler system with 22, 000 square meters of solar panels and seasonal thermal storage.
Interested in Pure Plant Oil technology (PPO), Rob bought and converted a 1983 Westfalia VW Diesel Bus to run on waste vegetable oil. The technical expertise that he gained led him to getting involved in a PPO development initiative in Cuba.
Most recently Rob embarked on a one year sabbatical to learn more about renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. The time included a 6 month trainee position at the Nordic Folkecenter for Renewable Energy in Denmark, internships at various Permaculture farms in North America and a delegation to learn more about the indigenous people in the Chiapas region of Mexico. After taking a training course at the Bullock Permaculture Homestead in Washington USA, Rob became a certified Permaculture Designer.
Rob has a broad range of experience in sustainable design, specializing in solar, combined heat and power, biomass combustion, district heating, pure plant oils, Permaculture and whole-systems design. He has a strong understanding of thermodynamics combined with mechanical engineering design and the application of these principles to the aforementioned technologies.