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Dr. Alex Hobbs, Assoc. Director at the N.C. Solar Center, receives NCSEA 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award

Posted on: November 10th, 2011 by shannon

Dr. Alex Hobbs received the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association’s 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award at the NCSEA Annual Conference on November 9, 2011. This award is given to an individual demonstrating exemplary leadership in the advancement of sustainable energy in North Carolina.  Dr. Hobbs has made a considerable impact in the fields of renewable technologies and energy efficiency during his career.

Dr. Hobbs is currently the Associate Director for Renewable Technologies at the Solar Center, an outreach component of NC State University’s College of Engineering. He has more than 40 years of engineering experience in the areas of electric power generation and delivery, water and wastewater treatment, as well as production agriculture and food processing. He has worked as a design/startup engineer and as project manager on conventional fossil fuel based power generation projects. As an in-house technology consultant and researcher for a major southeastern utility, Dr. Hobbs led applied research and development programs to evaluate advanced power production techniques, development and combustion of biomass based renewable fuel resources, new environmental assessment and remediation technologies and innovative load management equipment and strategies. Concurrent with the electric utility work, Dr. Hobbs has maintained a consulting engineering practice in the Raleigh area for the past 30 years. These activities have included animal waste treatment, post harvest crop handling system design, and evaluation of both large and small combined heat and power applications. Concurrent with the electric utility work, Dr. Hobbs has maintained a consulting engineering practice in the Raleigh area for the past 30 years. These activities have included animal waste treatment, post harvest crop handling system design, and evaluation of both large and small combined heat and power applications.


Dr. Alex Hobbs receives NCSEA 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. Alex Hobbs receives NCSEA 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award (alongside Ivan Urlaub, NCSEA Executive Director and Maria Kingery, Southern Energy Management)

The N.C. Solar Center awarded Green Education Program of the Year by the Triangle Business Journal

Posted on: October 28th, 2011 by shannon No Comments

The Triangle Business Journal recognized the N.C. Solar Center’s Clean Transportation program Thursday, October 27th for their Drive Green Save Green workshops that introduce North Carolina fleet managers and the general public to the technology and practices that can make a difference to every driver’s bottom line.

Bryan Hamilton, publisher of the Triangle Business Journal, presented the award to Aranzazu Lascurain, clean transportation specialist at the N.C. Solar Center, during the 2011 Green Awards luncheon at the Embassy Suites in Cary.

The Drive Green Save Green workshops emphasize that driving for fuel economy is the single fastest way to save money on fuel and reduce harmful emissions. This education and outreach program is geared toward simple, low-cost solutions that maximize fuel economy while at the same time reducing emissions. Swedish Truck manufacturer, Scania’s president and CEO Leif Ostling states, “Driver training is the single, fastest way to reduce the carbon footprint of our trucks. We know that the difference between skilled and less skilled drivers can be up to 20 percent fuel consumption.1”

The goals of the program are to convince people that eco-driving results in better fuel economy, which then translates to saving money, and also building awareness and behavior change to daily driving patterns.

The 2011 Drive Green, Save Green workshops consisted of three, free, half-day workshops focusing on driving for fuel economy, or “eco-driving” that targeted fleet managers, but were also open to anyone interested in maximizing fuel economy (including the general public). The workshops included both classroom and on-road experience with eco-driving practices and the mechanics of fuel economy.

The initial roll-out of workshops were held in Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte between the months of April and May 2011.