Solar System Integration, Power Electronics, and System Engineering Management (RA)
North Carolina State University
Total years of experience :32 years, 7 Months
In addition to writing research grant proposals related to DOE EERE Funding Opportunity Announcements, research involved successfully managing the following NCSU FREEDM Center research projects:
• A multimillion dollar grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) related to the design and development of a “Cost Effective, Residential Plug and Play Photovoltaic System.” Roles in this project included:
o Participating in writing the proposal for the said grant, focusing on the power electronics and PV system integration.
o Managing the design and development teams for:
PnP System Integration (3 graduate students, 1 lab technician)
Electrical System Improvements (4 graduate students, 1 lab technician)
System Engineering Management to include project planning and tracking, where the Microsoft Project tool was used.
o Designing and developing:
The system architecture, which resulted in optimization for faster installation time and lower cost.
An extremely low cost and novel PV panel-side converter.
An extremely low cost and novel solar mechanical racking system and integration methods.
Innovative PnP interconnectivity system.
Innovative grid tie and communication methods.
o Ensuring the system design’s adherence to the National Electrical Code (NEC) and to UL requirements.
o Developing the system specification requirements, installation procedure, detailed bill of material with cost, and final performance results’ report, which were among the project deliverables that were timely submitted to DOE.
o Planning, organizing, and executing an installation demo of a comprehensive grid-tied Plug and Play (PnP) 3kW residential solar system, which was installed by 2 untrained individuals in one hour and twenty minutes - demonstrating a significant improvement over current practices.
o Verbal and written communication skills with the ability to communicate clearly and succinctly through formal reports, presentations, memoranda and email. Presenting the project end results to DOE at their Washington D.C. home office. The presentation included several innovative solutions related to power electronics and to system integration.
• Assumed the green energy hub (GEH), funded by the National Science Foundation, team leadership assignment as a part of the system engineering management role. This included the the design of a 200V output PV-to-Microgrid converter and a PV-to-Microgrid low cost Plug and Play integrated method. (18 graduates and 3 post PhD students)
• Managed the performance evaluation for a solar powered 40KW UPS developed by Eaton Corp. (2 graduate students)
Established and directed a North Carolina construction company specializing in land development and residential building construction; managed construction and land development operations; coordinated projects in several states; developed opportunities; prepared and delivered presentations to investors and banks; oversaw sales and cost projections; managed coordination to include specification requirements' design & implementation of multiple engineering groups; system controls and processes; continuous improvement processes; operating plans; project plans; hired sub-contractors; managed projects; managed interface with city/county including permits and inspections; and ensured quality/customer satisfaction.
Accomplishments:
• Prepared and delivered bids for development projects ranging from $200K to $1M per home.
• Provided land purchase recommendations implemented by company.
• Carried out due diligence, construction material selection, and sub-contractor selection while directing constructions for various projects.
• Dramatically reduced costs through negotiations and process improvement.
• Directed construction of 200-home development, including commercial shopping center with restaurants, convenience stores, gas station, office centers, and more.
Directed Planning, Personnel, Procurement Tracking & Expediting, and IT functions for $250M electromechanical construction company, with a peak number of employees of 950. Led planning for key projects, including airports, hotels, banks, hospitals, luxury homes, and commercial buildings in Egypt and Lebanon. Administered budgets and cost control. Prepared cash flow and cost projections, reports, strategic processes, continuous improvement processes, operating plans, and project plans. Managed Tracking & Expediting group, insurance programs, employee development, performance plans, staffing, and more. Optimized material time cycles. Directed a team of engineers and draftsmen that have drafted electromechanical shop and construction drawings to include the Building Management Systems’ (BMS) drawings. BMS was implemented in most Debbas projects in coordination with Johnson Controls.
Accomplishments:
• Formulated major improvements to operational processes and system engineering by improving overall company productivity by over 300%. Processes include developing integrated systems and operations, design/development/implementation of software solutions to include automated time sheet accounting, cash flow reporting, income tax reports, cost reporting, and more.
• Created productivity program to measure efficiency of tasks performed during projects.
• Optimized personnel utilization through project integration operational functions.
Assumed product and project management and team technical leadership roles for multiple projects to include the design and development of the power electronics for multiplexers, modems, personal computers, monitors, cash registers, etc. This included:
1994-1996 Product Manager
Assuming product management for 5 high-volume IBM Ethernet adapter products:
o Directing operations such as cost reduction, vendor management, team technical support, customer and marketing support and problem resolutions.
o Completing product redesigns to meet FCC class B requirements.
o Reducing costs by acquiring alternate manufacturers and component vendors.
o Duplicating customer environments and creating action plans.
1993-1994 Project Manager
Led a team of engineers in the design and development of a portable computer wireless radio adapter. This included:
o Designing analog circuits
o Analyzing and simulating noise and power consumption
o Resolving technical issues
o Developing functional specification documents, manufacturing test plans, and design guides.
o Delivering major solutions.
1988-1993 Project Manager, Team Technical Leader/Staff Engineer, Power Supply & Power Architecture Design
Carried out project management and served as team technical leader in the design and development of the power electronics for multiple IBM monitors and personal computers, high availability power systems for bridges, routers, and multiple station units. This included:
o Selecting, designing, and implementing the power electronics’ system architecture.
o Designing, prototyping, and testing innovative low cost power electronic solutions.
o Arranging low-cost vendor agreements in China, Brazil and South Korea.
o Conducting vendor training.
o Obtaining safety approvals.
o Delivering several major technology innovations.
Previous IBM positions include Jr. Engineer (1982-1983), Associate Engineer (1983-1984), Sr. Associate Engineer (1984-1985), and Staff Engineer, Power System Development (1985-1988).
