The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is a group of distinguished experts in different disciplines related to the EcoBlock design and implementation. We are very fortunate to draw on the wealth of their practical experience when we seek advice on challenging questions throughout the project.
Building Retrofits: Andrew Brooks
Founder, Association for Energy Affordability (AEA)
Andy leads the AEA West Coast regional office. Under his guidance, the California office has helped design and administer multifamily energy efficiency programs for organizations like the Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN) and Southern California Edison (SCE). Andy has participated in several energy-efficiency technical committees, including EPA Region 9’s Multifamily Home Energy Retrofit Coordinating Committee.
Behavioral: Angela Sanguinetti
Research Environmental Psychologist
Director, Cohousing Research Network
Dr. Sanguinetti is a Research Environmental Psychologist at UC Davis Energy and EfficiencyInstitute and Institute of Transportation Studies. Her research interests center on how the design of the built environment impacts our behavior and well-being. She directs the UC Davis Consumer Energy Interfaces Lab and brings her behavioral expertise to projects with organizations like the Energy & Efficiency Institute.
Business Model & Strategy: Keiichi Hirose
Technical Officer, New Energy & Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)
Dr. Keiichi Hirose is a Technical officer of NEDO Smart Community Department, and is engaged in solutions for mass introduction of distributed energy, effective use of storage systems, demonstration of advanced microgrid, etc., in order to solve future energy-related issues. He has contributed information and lessons obtained from his years in the telecom industry at NTT on topics including state-of-the-art technologies, mixed AC-DC power facilities, and natural disaster measurements, etc.
Building Department: Greg Mahoney
Chair, California Building Standards Commission Code Advisory for Green Buildings
Vice Chair, Code Council’s G4 Guideline for Commissioning Committee
Greg has 30 years of building code enforcement experience. He has taught Inspection Technology and Green Building at Consumnes River College for 14 years and also teaches the California Residential Code, California Building Code and CALGreen as a Code Council Instructor. In 2016, Greg was the recipient of theCalifornia Building Official’s (CALBO) Building Official of the Year award.
Business Model & Strategy: JP Ross
Senior Director, East Bay Community Energy (EBCE)
JP leads EBCE’s local development and innovation programs to deliverbenefits to residents and businesses in Alameda County. He has actively engaged with solar market development and commercialization since 1999 and has worked with organizations like Greenpeace, Vote Solar, and Origin Energy. JP specializes in building teams, P&L management, market expansions, product and business development and developing channels.
Microgrid Governance: Jim Zoellick
Managing Research Engineer, Schatz Energy Research Center
Jim provides extensive experience in planning, analysis, project development and implementation, with a focus on tribal and public sector projects in rural northern California.He led the development of the RePower Humboldt Strategic Plan and has directed planning studies for the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure throughout rural northern California. Most recently, Jim has worked to develop, deploy and evaluate cutting-edge microgrid technology.
Electric Utility Interface: Bill Torre
Program Director, Energy Storage & Systems, UCSD Center for Energy Research
Bill has worked in the power and energy engineering industry for 40 years. Currently, he is involved indeveloping advanced power system controls and data acquisition for micro-grid applications,including phasor measurement units. His energy research also involves electric transportationand utilization of automated demand response and vehicle-to-grid control tooptimize overall micro-grid operation and efficiency.
Financial: Chad White
Program Lead, New Climate Initiatives, Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD)
Chad oversees the New Climate Initiatives program at BAAQMD. Under his leadership, the program has launched and grown their use of financial products and partnerships to accelerate climate technology. Chad has a demonstrated history of managing various sustainability projects in strategy implementation, organization development, and product design. He also has experience with projects in the manufacturing, consumer products, food and agriculture, emerging tech, and recycling sectors.
Business Model & Strategy: Greg Wolfson
Head of Technology & Analysis, Shell Connected Energy
Chief Technology Officer, EcoSmart Solution (ESS)
Greg is currently the Head of Technology and Analysis for Shell Connected Energy, which connects Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) to provide cleaner, more cost-effective and resilient energy for end-use clients. Previously, Greg led the development, launch, and commercialization of the AC Battery at Enphase Energy and in 2009, helped found PMFG Solar, a commercial solar developer based in Southern California.