Projects
Ruby has over 9 years experience in the energy and building services space. See below for some project highlights and a brief summary of her work over the last few years.
Mini-grid Installations in Ethiopia
Construction Management & Training
Ruby spent 6 months of 2018 volunteering under Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB) to assist the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) with the implementation of solar mini-grids in Ethiopia. UNHCR had established refugee and host community energy cooperatives across 5 camps. EWB was brought in to deliver training and support UNHCR with installation.
UNHCR became short staffed on the project and as such Ruby stepped in to deliver the final mini-grid installation and provide both structured theoretical training as well as hands on installation training of a 6kW solar, 800Ah battery storage mini-grid. Ruby then lead the design of a 27kW solar, 2400Ah system with paralleled inverters and generator connection for a refugee marketplace.
Homeless Advocacy Project Office - San Francisco
Project Management
The Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) is an initiative run by the Justice and Diversity Center (JDC) in San Francisco. They provide legal services to the homeless and those who are at imminent risk of becoming homeless. The office where they conducted business was old and run down and there was no heating or cooling in the building. The employees roasted at their desks in the summer and in the winter they ran space heaters which continuously overloaded and tripped their circuit breakers.
Ruby acted as electrical designer to expand their electrical service to accommodate a new roof mounted HVAC system. She also took over as project manager when her colleague Elizabeth left the firm. Ruby represented HAP in discussions with the utility and the building inspectors to push the design through to construction.
Complex Solar Arrays for Silicon Valley Tech Companies
PV System Design & MV Distribution
Ruby worked on many projects in San Francisco which are of a confidential nature. Some of her larger projects were on several tech campuses where she designed large solar PV systems (up to 9MW), including a building integrated system on an existing structure with complex geometry. She experimented with Rhino models and Grasshopper plug ins to accurately analyse the potential power generation of different building surfaces.
Ruby also dealt with the complexities of privately owned medium voltage distribution networks, helping to determine economic and technical feasibility of maintaining a privately held substation and 12kV distribution network. In addition she analysed and planned staged separation of existing components on a shared ownership site with over one hundred buildings and transformers.
Energy & Microgrids
TRB/ACRP Microgrids for Airports study, Washington DC
The Transportation Research Board commissioned a synthesis report to collect information and case studies to inform airports and public transportation facilities about the benefits, barriers and business cases around implementing microgrids. Ruby was the lead researcher and writer for the paper which was published in September 2018.
Confidential Institute, San Francisco, CA
Ruby performed verification of solar and battery storage sizing for a large off-grid campus. Using the microgrid economic analysis software Homer she has sized battery storage and PV systems in the range of 2MW PV and 600kW/2.5 MWh BSS.
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab DC scoping study, San Francisco, CA
LBNL was awarded an EPIC grant to produce design guides to facilitate developers and home owners in designing DC building systems. Arup served as technical adviser, designer of two example buildings and provided costing services. Ruby directed the project as lead electrical engineer and project manager.
Confidential Campus, California
Ruby delivered schematic design for a new campus electrical distribution system. The campus includes site loads of approximately 20MW. Ruby also completed feasibility of PV, battery storage and fuel cell generation to create a microgrid.
Ruby was the lead electrical engineer for many projects across this site including site wide MV infrastructure design, project costing, load analysis, complex energy cost calculations, solar PV feasibility/design as well as assisting with building services design.
Stanford Laser Accelerator Center (SLAC), California
SLAC has been undergoing a systematic upgrade of unit substations and electrical systems within its linear accelerator facility. Ruby has been involved in producing design documents for the upgrade of a number of substations at SLAC. She produced full construction documents in Revit for six MV substation upgrades. Later she provided contract administration services for this project and managed a team to provide an additional feasibility study.
Masterplanning, China
Ruby was involved in a masterplanning activity for a new city in China. Her role involved high level energy strategy planning including estimating loads, determining distribution voltages and sizing/locating substations.
Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy
SFO Hotel Solar PV & Hot Water Study, San Francisco, CA
Ruby performed sizing energy generation calculations for solar PV and solar hot water systems to determine cost impact and effect on LEED points.
Whole Foods Market Zero Net Energy Target, San Francisco, CA
Whole Foods Market Noe Valley received an EPIC grant to upgrade their store with the target of zero net energy, never before achieved for a grocery store. Ruby oversaw the electrical upgrade initiatives for increasing energy efficiency and investigating on site- energy generation potential.
Solar market Pathways, San Francisco, CA
Establishing emergency loads to inform the concept design of 12 solar and energy storage systems to provide backup power to essential city owned facilities in San Francisco. The solar and storage systems can operate in grid connected and grid island mode and can provide back-up power to essential loads such as lighting and plug loads for up to 7 days. Ruby assisted intermittently across the 4 year project most significantly with physical surveys of buildings in SF.
US Embassy [Confidential]
Ruby completed generation analysis and produced a reference design for a 1.5MW roof mounted PV system to offset building demand.
University of Hawaii, Oahu, Hawaii
Ruby completed a feasibility study for a 100MW solar system on university owned land. She worked with the Arup GIS team to exclude agricultural lands and unfavourable slopes and deliver a document containing the most effective way to place solar in the available area. Ruby was also involved in the contract administration phase of a 500kW solar power system at the university. She had a role in shop drawing review and assessment of the electricity export potential of the arrays.
Building Services
Melbourne International Airport, Melbourne
Ruby has worked extensively at the Melbourne Airport including producing full electrical and lighting design of Terminal 4.
888 Collins St Apartments, Melbourne
888 Collins St consists of two towers with a combined 56 levels. Ruby completed the majority of the electrical and lighting design with full Revit documentation.
Mitcham Train Station, Melbourne
Ruby acted as lead electrical engineer for a grade separation and new station building project undertaking the building and site wide electrical design.
Lighting
Ruby has contributed to many lighting projects in the US and Australia as well as several in Asia and France. While not a skill area she actively pursues further work in the background knowledge in LED technology has proven to be very valuable to energy efficiency projects.
Experience Summary
