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Robert Le Chevalier
Country: United States
Year Started Research: 1974
Title of Research: Solar Heating and Cooling Technologies and promotion
of Renewable Energy
University: Honeywell Inc., Energy Research and Development
Administration
Still Active in Research: No
In 1974, Robert Le Chevalier served as a Senior Systems & Research Scientist at Honeywell, Inc in the design/
development of solar heating/cooling systems and components. He served as Project Engineer in the design and
development of a Transportable Solar Energy Laboratory under contract to the US National Science Foundation
(NSF).Two different solar cooling concepts were designed for this laboratory.Powered by solar heated water at 200
degrees F produced by the laboratory’s 600 sq ft. solar collector array, one design was a 3 ton absorption cycle air
conditioner and the other a Rankine Cycle Engine driving a 3 ton compression cycle air conditioner. The NSF mission
for this transportable laboratory was to collect solar heating and cooling data under all US climate conditions and
to promote renewable energy technologies.This laboratory travelled the US for 3 years to all 48 continental states.
At each site, solar heating/cooling and solar insolation data were collected.On this tour, he also served as NSF
emissary in the promotion of solar heating and cooling and all other renewable energy technologies. A broad range
of renewable technologies were displayed in this laboratory..In 1976, he joinedthe US ERDA serving as Program
Manager for the Solar Heating/Cooling research program, developing research plans and formulating and directing
research projects.In 1979 founded a solar heating and cooling research/commercial firm in Denver.He served as
lead designer, designing and constructing residential and commercial solar systems throughout the Denver region
including a residential cooling system.Systems were instrumented and successfully validated his system design
analyses.In 1982, he served as consultant to the Office of Energy, Puerto Rico Commonwealth, exploring suitable
solar applications for use in the Puerto Rican climate.In this role he designed a solar cooling system suitable for hot,
humid climates.In 1983, he re-joined the US Dept. of Energy, San Francisco, and served as Program Manager for
solar heating/cooling research.
Trevor Lee
Country: Australia
Year Started Research: 1975
Title of Research: Solar Energy in Architecture
University: University of Melbourne
Still Active in Research: Yes
Trevor Lee is an architect who has directed himself to energy issues in the built environment since his graduation
with honours from the University of Melbourne in 1976. From 1985 to 1989, as the Senior Architect for Energy
Management of the Commonwealth’s construction authority (then called the Department of Construction), he
prepared a series of in-house publications including those on setting energy targets for new buildings. From
1989 until 1995 he served as editor of “Solar Progress”, the quarterly journal of the Australian and New Zealand
Solar Energy Society, (ANZSES) and from 1996 to 1998 was chair of that organisation. He was also a founding
director and later Vice-President of the Sustainable Energy Industry Association (SEIA) now the Clean Energy
Council, CEC). He has also served as an executive director of Australian Ethical Investment Ltd, (ASX code AEF)
manager of unit trust and superannuation funds now totalling over Au$4.8 billion, from 1991 until 2003 and as
a non-executive director for 2004. He served as technical adviser to the ACT Government for the first four years
of its ground-breaking mandatory house energy efficiency rating (EER) scheme (applied both at building approval
stage for new dwellings and at the advertising for sale stage for existing dwellings). He is also co-author of the
Australian Solar Radiation Data Handbook (ASRDH) 1995 and its full revision in 2005 for ANZSES as well as
providing technical direction for the updating of the Australian Climate Data Bank for 201 locations in ACDB
(NatHERS), TMY2 and EPW formats. Trevor is now the Managing Director of Exemplary Energy, specialising in
developing generic (Reference Meteorological Years, RMYs) and specialised weather and climate data for building
and renewable energy system simulation. These include Real Time (Meteorological) Years (RTYs), P10 and P90
extreme meteorological years and Ersatz Future Meteorological Years (EFMYs).
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