Harvey Braswell

Principal Engineer, Head of Energy Storage at VDE Americas
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Contact Information
us****@****om
(386) 825-5501
Location
San Francisco, California, United States, US
Languages
  • English Native or bilingual proficiency
  • Spanish Limited working proficiency
  • German Limited working proficiency
  • Mandarin Chinese Elementary proficiency
Skills

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Liz Merry

Harvey is a master communicator and a very quick study. He's clearly passionate about promoting clean energy solutions and he brings decades of senior executive leadership and construction management to any energy project. I very much appreciate his ability to distill large complicated topics into logical and accessible presentations.

Angus McAlpine

Harvey and I worked for several years within Sun on the Sigma deployment and then latterly in some more targeted business roles. In that time I never ceased to be amazed by Harvey's knowledge, skillset, leadership qualities and in particular his versatility. He brought into Sun a sense of passion, vitality and energy into the continuous improvement movement. His ability to relate to individuals and circumstances meant he was without equal in the training and mentoring of the staff members here. As he moved into new roles he was able to dissect and rebuild each role making it better than it was before. Harvey is a rare talent and will be an asset to any organization.

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Credentials

  • Six Sigma Master Black Belt (MBB)
    GE Power Systems

Experience

  • VDE Americas
    • United States
    • Renewable Energy Semiconductor Manufacturing
    • 1 - 100 Employee
    • Principal Engineer, Head of Energy Storage
      • Oct 2020 - Present

      • Independent and Owner Engineering support for investors and developers of Commercial & Industrial (C&I) and Utility Scale solar, solar plus energy storage systems (ESS) projects. •Technical diligence in power conversion systems, SCADA, EPC, Interconnection, and power conversion equipment agreements. • Independent and Owner Engineering support for investors and developers of Commercial & Industrial (C&I) and Utility Scale solar, solar plus energy storage systems (ESS) projects. •Technical diligence in power conversion systems, SCADA, EPC, Interconnection, and power conversion equipment agreements.

  • Tiger Motion, Inc.
    • United States
    • Renewable Energy Semiconductor Manufacturing
    • Founding Principal
      • Dec 2004 - Oct 2020

      Provide executive energy consultant services to a broad range of renewable energy and capital investment companies. Work with independent and owner's engineers to evaluate Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) infrastructure requirements and risk categories for BESS and solar plus storage energy projects in North America. Specialties: Development, Construction, Asset Management and Operations & Maintenance of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, PV solar, thermal solar, industrial and aeroderivative gas turbine cogeneration plants. Power Generation, Renewable Generation, Distributed Generation, Start-ups & Turnarounds, Six-Sigma, Builder & Leader of High Performing Teams, P&L Responsibility, Strategic Partnerships, Business & Corporate Development. Show less

  • AMS
    • United States
    • Renewable Energy Semiconductor Manufacturing
    • 1 - 100 Employee
    • Vice President O&M and Asset Management
      • Aug 2017 - Feb 2020

      • Promoted to build and lead a brand new Asset Management Team.• 80+ projects under management across universities, waste treatment facilities, and high end commercial office space.• Responsible for the O&M on AMS's first Investment Tax Credit (ITC) solar plus storage project (3.1MWh Tesla Stationary Storage plus 1MW solar)• Responsible for O&M on AMS's first Lockheed Martin Gridstar energy storage project • P&L responsibilities for a diverse portfolio of energy storage systems• Defined KPI's and established availability metrics around deliverables found in the project management service agreements with investors and host customers.• Stood up the maintenance management system used to track corrective and preventive maintenance work activities through resolution.• Stepped in to take over the network operations center (NOC) responsibilities following the attrition of key members of that team. Show less

    • Senior Director Development
      • Jun 2015 - Aug 2017

      AMS is a developer and installer of commercial, lithium-ion-battery energy storage systems with over 90 MW under contract. AMS has one of the largest master services agreement in place for Tesla stationary storage products manufactured at the Tesla Giga-Factory in Sparks, Nevada.Responsibilities:Drive the project development and site implementation of Tesla battery energy storage systems ranging from 250kw x 6 hour systems to 1MW+ x 6 hour systems. Lead the team responsible for initial site evaluation, permitting, interconnection, design engineering and project management for the installation of a grid-scale fleet of Hybrid-Electric Building™ projects.Major Contributions: • Personally recruited recognized, top talent to double the AMS Development Team in less than a year. • Established a succession plan which allowed an internal candidate to step up and run installations, allowing me to move over and stand up the Asset Management team.• Established a site evaluation process to enable business development teams to target easy to build sites.• Within 30 days of hire implemented a data management platform adapted company wide for installations, business development, analytics, interconnection and rebate tracking.• Established an Electrical Engineering “tiger team” to support first time, isochronous, energy storage load support schemes.• Established an in-house, 3-D graphics based site rendering team to assist the sales process and provide detailed site layouts to insure O&M access in designs. Reduced third party turnaround times by over 50%.• Review and determine contractor selection for installation of all energy storage system components.• Project Manager for AMS’s first ever, waste treatment and university installations.• Lead to establish AMS’s operations and maintenance organization. Show less

  • Bloom Energy
    • United States
    • Industrial Machinery Manufacturing
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Senior Director Installations
      • Oct 2012 - Jun 2015

      • Direct report to Bloom Energy COO • Lead the Customer Installation Group (CIG) responsible for the engineering design, permitting, utility interface and construction of Bloom Energy fuel cells. • Established a new CIG Eastern Region install team to support projects and new markets in DE, CT, NY and NJ • Achieved the highest number of MW's installed in any one quarter in the history of the company. • Created a risk profiling and probable outcome tool to more accurately predict quarterly system acceptances and cash flow. • Created a dedicated process development team to help drive lower installation costs • Zero recordable safety incidents on a portfolio of over 50MW's installed fuel cells • Negotiate design and construction contracts, budgets, and work with contractors • Work with governmental authorities to secure all build and operational permits • Focal point for the customer, permitting agencies, utilities, and others • Champion permitting and interconnection process improvements • Lead and develop the short and long-term strategies and objectives for the Customer Installation Group Show less

  • SolarCity
    • United States
    • Renewable Energy Semiconductor Manufacturing
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Senior Director of Operations Engineering & Systems Reliability
      • Sep 2011 - Oct 2012

      • Manage the daily activities of the Field Engineering team • Drive continuous improvement of SolarCity’s PV installation quality assessment process • Drive continuous improvement of SolarCity’s installer training and certification programs • Oversee the continued development of SolarCity’s PV installation documentation and communication processes (process documentation, call center operation, newsletters, training content development) • Support operations expansion through planning, site selection, project management, and new site launch, ramp, and stabilization activities • Further develop the Operations and Maintenance program to support our growing customer base of 30,000+ PV installations (200+MW) • Interface with Safety, Engineering, Sales and Operations departments to constantly improve the customer experience at an ever-declining cost per watt • Develop/Identify best practices in our field operations and drive adoption across our field locations • Analyze PV system issues and manage a closed-loop feedback process to reduce future system failures • Develop and roll-out process and equipment changes to the field, coordinating the transition to minimize waste and risk • Perform analysis of PV installation cost details, implement solutions to reduce them, and drive measurement improvements • Find methods to improve operational efficiencies at all levels through data driven analysis Show less

  • Solar Millennium, LLC
    • United States
    • Renewable Energy Semiconductor Manufacturing
    • VP Operations & Maintenance
      • Feb 2011 - Sep 2011

      Lead Operations & Maintenance (O&M) activities for concentrating solar thermal and PV large scale utility power plants under development and construction in the USA. • Responsible for developing the operation and maintenance programs for some of the world's largest, large-scale utility solar power plants. •Comprehensive analysis provided for government funded loan programs • Created detailed operating plans for mobilization, plant staffing, preventive maintenance management, contract management services and compliance with solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPA's) Show less

  • Solar Trust of America, LLC
    • Renewables & Environment
    • 1 - 100 Employee
    • Director Contracts and Procurement
      • May 2010 - Feb 2011

      • Negotiate EPC contracts for some of the world's largest solar-plants; • Manage and negotiate long-term contracts with partners, vendors, and customers working with the Commercial & Plant Operations and Legal teams; • Prepare and manage budget forecasts and vision for long term operations and maintenance (O&M) planning; • Coordinate planning and scheduling with Operations-Engineering partners and external vendors; • Supervise and implement project financial budgeting/monitoring systems, administrative systems and associated staff; • Oversee project controls and data management systems development; • Ensure compliance with requirements of all commercial contracts; • Support Department of Energy (DOE) information requests for DOE Loan Guarantee Program Show less

  • Sun Microsystems
    • United States
    • IT Services and IT Consulting
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Director Supply Chain Operations Asia Pacific
      • Jun 2004 - Feb 2010

      Direct responsibility for the book to ship process for 15% of Sun Microsystems entire revenue stream. Drive the fulfillment of over 8MM pounds annually of Sun Microsystems products shipping to over 10 countries throughout the Asia Pacific Region. • Established an ultra-short lead time support program for the Oracle On Demand program in Sydney, Australia. Leveraged relationships through strategic channel partners to enable 48 hour support requirements. • Opened up a direct ship Scotland to China shipping channel resulting in a 50% leadtime improvement. Eliminated costly and time consuming layover in the USA. • Reduced unscheduled backlog by over $10M and improved on-time delivery metrics by over 20% within six weeks of taking on the new role. • Reduced headcount costs by 30% first quarter in new role. • Escalate to transportation and third party logistics (3PL) providers for critical order flows. •Drive key customer experience metrics, and provide financial detail to finance and revenue management. • Insure compliance to varied Incoterm 2000 freight terms and US Export Compliance laws. Review compliance terms exemption requests. Show less

  • Sun Microsystems
    • United States
    • IT Services and IT Consulting
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Director, Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt, World Wide Operations (WWOPS)
      • 2003 - 2004

      Division Level Master Black Belt World Wide Operations (WWOPS) Provided leadership to the Sun Microsystems World Wide Operations six sigma team comprised of 38 Black Belts, 3 Master Black Belts (MBB) and over 2000 employees across five global facilities. Daily, strategic interface with a team of 8 VP’s and 40 peer Directors. Responsible for driving annual six sigma savings of over $100MM, representing 25% of Sun Microsystems total cost savings. • Created a graphic, financial software program that projected forward looking six sigma financial information. Provided 80% better resolution than the corporate package. • Initiated a MBBs-As-Trainers program to drive down training costs and raise six-sigma engagement levels. Program was implemented across Sun on a global basis. • Certified as one of Sun Microsystems first MBBs able to teach classroom based six sigma classes. Kicked off the first class in Linlithgow, Scotland at a savings of over 70% compared to training previously provided by outside contractors. • Provided over 500 student hours of classroom Six Sigma training. • Promoted to the WWOPS Staff Master Black Belt within six months of initially hiring on as the Master Black Belt for Worldwide Customer Fulfillment. • Selected to provide Voice of the Customer training for special Sun Microsystems classes. • 47 Greenbelts Certified in WWOPS, representing over 50% of all the Certified Greenbelts at Sun. Exceeded FY04 greenbelt certification targets by 250%. • Executed WWOPS VP/Director training attainment metrics at a rate 3 times greater than Sun Microsystems corporate average for the same employee base. Show less

  • GE
    • United States
    • Industrial Machinery Manufacturing
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • General Manager Customer Support
      • 1999 - 2003

      General Electric Aeroderivative Package Services Lead worldwide, field service support for the GE aeroderivative, gas-turbine fleet (~1300 gas-turbines in >40 countries), employing ~200 employees from ten global facilities. Direct P&L responsibility for annual operating budgets of $90 MM in sales and $150 MM in tooling assets. • Revitalized a Field Service business with 1999 sales of $34 MM into a business with 2002 sales of $90MM and improved margins by over 900%. • Led 82 Six Sigma projects generating net savings exceeding $5MM. • Reduced variance to want (VTW) spans on outage duration times by 89%. • Reduced non-current receivables from $15 MM to $.8 MM. • Established new maintenance facilities in Brazil, Turkey and the UK . • Organized two major events for the GE Houston Asian Pacific American Forum. Show less

  • General Electric - Stewart & Stevenson Energy Products
    • Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt
      • 1998 - 1999

      Instructed, mentored and applied Six Sigma methodologies combined with Kaizen principles to a diverse gas turbine service business acquired by GE. Challenges ranged from cycle time reduction on gas-turbine overhauls to inventory reduction and accounts receivable collection enhancements. • Provided DMAIC classroom training to over 500+ employees new to GE. • Mentored 72 Six Sigma projects producing bottom line savings of over $4MM. • Coached and counseled four, Six Sigma Blackbelt direct reports. • Achieved buy-in and consensus from staff champions with often conflicting priorities. Show less

  • Stewart & Stevenson
    • United States
    • Oil and Gas
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Vice President North American Operations
      • 1996 - 1998

      Supervised fiscal and operations activities for 22 operations and maintenance (O&M) contracts with Independent Power Producers ranging from 32 to 272 MW. Also managed six offshore O&M contracts for oil and gas rigs in the Texas Gulf. Responsible for an annual operating budget of $47MM. Directly supervised Business Development, Accounting, Operations and Engineering teams. • Negotiated new O&M contracts, prepared bids and sales pitches.• Established strategic alliances with third-party major overhaul providers.• Evaluated OSHA and NFPA employee health and safety programs.• Led due diligence teams to inspect distressed power plants for banks and insurers. Show less

    • General Manager Eastern Region
      • 1994 - 1996

      Streamlined the day-to-day operations and fiscal oversight of 14 domestic power plant O&M contracts representing over $1 billion of installed assets. Ensured environmental compliance of contracts.• Responsible for an annual operating budget of $30 MM and supervised 200 regional and plant-based personnel. Managed steam sale agreement for a remote plant owner.• Developed plant preventive maintenance programs later applied business-wide.• Recruited and mentored the talent pipeline for 85% of the key leadership positions within the newly-formed International Business Unit. Show less

    • Operations Manager Eastern Region
      • 1990 - 1994

      Managed the start-up, and administration of 18 O&M power plant contracts. Provided services for heavy duty and aero-derivative gas turbines. Mobilized, crew-trained and operated the first five international O&M power plant projects in Venezuela and in high-risk locations in Colombia. • Recruited Colombian personnel and developed bi-lingual training programs for plant managers and crews. Established a leadership team in Bogotá, Colombia.• Built alliances with in-country security providers in high-risk areas of Colombia.• Provided sales assistance to grow this new region from $4M in annual sales to $48M in 1994 when an International Business Unit was established.• Sourced spare part inventories and tooling (~$1MM per plant). • Developed pre-hire screening procedures to minimize expatriate post-hire disappointments. Show less

  • GE
    • United States
    • Industrial Machinery Manufacturing
    • 700 & Above Employee
    • Lead Technical Advisor / Site Project Coordinator/ Start-Up Engineer
      • 1981 - 1990

      Based overseas for the start-up, troubleshooting, commissioning and crew training of GE heavy duty and aero-derivative gas turbine packages worldwide. Conducted long-term assignments in Saudi Arabia (3 years), Oman, Pakistan, Venezuela and China. • Resident Engineer for a 50MW heavy duty, isochronous gas turbine generator facility in Najran, Saudi Arabia. Directed a 100% third-country-national workforce. Improved availability by over 15%. • Technical Advisor for installation and start-up of a 150MW heavy-duty gas turbine generator facility on an isochronous grid in Tihama, Saudi Arabia. Reduced fuel sampling times by 50%. • Total plant installation, start-up, training and operations responsibility for a 25MW LM2500 gas turbine generator Sheng Li Oilfield Project in Dong Ying, China. Erection and start-up completed with 100% Chinese workforce. Made complex control modifications in the field eliminating 6 weeks of project delay. • Plant engineer and control systems expert for a dual LM2500 cogeneration facility operated by GE Operations and Maintenance. Hired, trained and supervised a team for total plant maintenance. Made record first year availability. • Provided in-country classroom training for an Oman-based maintenance team. Show less

Education

  • UC Berkeley
    UC Berkeley Extension Course
    2010 - 2010
  • GE Leadership Development Center (Crotonville)
    Certificate
    2000 - 2000
  • Rochester Institute of Technology
    BSME
    1976 - 1981

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