VP Engineering at Ausra
San Francisco Bay Area
- Current
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- Vice President, Engineering at Ausra
- Past
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- Director, Power Engineering at Ausra
- Consulting Engineer at William M. Conlon, P.E., Ph.D., Consulting Engineer (Sole Proprietorship)
- Technical Director at To the Point
- Vice President at Evotech, Inc.
- Vice President, Engineering at Polar Spring Corporation
- Manager at International Power Technology
- Senior Engineer at International Power Technology
- Engineer at Pacific Gas & Electric Company
- Education
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- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Plainedge High School
- Clear Creek High School
- Recommended
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8 people have recommended Bill - Connections
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181
connections
- Industry
- Renewables & Environment
- Websites
Bill Conlon’s Summary
Bill Conlon is an accomplished engineer with experience in energy systems, electric power and cogeneration, systems optimization, real-time controls, telecommunications and software. He has broad technical competence, demonstrated by publications and patents in multiple disciplines, and is comfortable in both corporations and startups. An experienced manager of people and projects, and recognized for leadership and communication skills, Bill is a degreed Nuclear Engineer and a licensed Professional Engineer (Mechanical) in the State of California.
Bill was featured in CapGemini's video "The Energy Ecosystem" [http://www.us.capgemini.com/smartgrid]
Bill Conlon’s Specialties:
Design and engineering of fluid and thermal systems. Solar, Nuclear, and Gas Turbine Cogeneration power systems. Water treatment systems. Instrumentation & Control Systems. Project Management.
Software architecture and engineering for embedded systems and web applications.
Bill Conlon’s Experience
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Vice President, Engineering
Ausra
(Privately Held; Renewables & Environment industry)
February 2009 — Present (10 months)
Key executive responsible for all engineering activities, including technical proposals, costing, test programs, and intellectual property. Manage 18-person multi-disciplinary engineering team including mechanical, controls, optical, civil/structural, for cost reduction and performance improvement. Conceive and oversee major re-work program to reduce cost, improve performance and enhance operability of CLFR solar boilers. As Chief Engineer, secured the ASME “S” Stamp and National Board certification for Ausra as the first and only Solar Boiler designer in the world, and secured operating permits for Kimberlina Power Station.
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Director, Power Engineering
Ausra
(Privately Held; Renewables & Environment industry)
May 2008 — February 2009 (10 months)
Oversaw engineering of steam, feedwater, and auxiliary systems for Ausra's CLFR (Compact Linear Fresnel Reflector) solar boiler demonstration plant. Supported the plant construction and operations staff, and was responsible engineer for the commissioning and startup of the Kimberlina Solar Power Station, the first solar thermal installation in California in almost 20 years.
Worked with Mechanical, Electrical, I&C, Piping disciplines and construction superintendants to assure a safe and smooth startup for this first-of-its-kind system. -
Consulting Engineer
William M. Conlon, P.E., Ph.D., Consulting Engineer (Sole Proprietorship)
(Sole Proprietorship; Myself Only; Mechanical or Industrial Engineering industry)
January 1998 — April 2008 (10 years 4 months)
As a consulting engineer, I have been a design consultant to a range of firms for projects involving control systems, fluid, and thermal systems.
My current interests include concentrated solar power and alternative energy systems to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, advanced water treatment technologies, and liquid cooling of high power density electronic components, . -
Technical Director
To the Point
(Partnership; 1-10 employees; Information Technology and Services industry)
December 1995 — April 2008 (12 years 5 months)
Provide technical direction, program and project management, design and implementation for dozens of internet projects. Emphasis on Digital Asset Management.
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Vice President
Evotech, Inc.
(Public Company; 11-50 employees; Computer Hardware industry)
July 1995 — November 1997 (2 years 5 months)
Identified and developed new lines of business for a consulting firm developing real-time firmware for OEMs. Cultivated new clients, prepared proposals, negotiated and secured new contracts. Managed hardware and software development projects, including proposal writing and customer liaison. Provided systems engineering, software design, and project management for embedded software in telecommunication systems and analytical instruments.
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Vice President, Engineering
Polar Spring Corporation
(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Consumer Goods industry)
November 1987 — June 1995 (7 years 8 months)
Led conceptualization and development of novel freeze crystallization water treatment technology, resulting in 6 patents. Managed mechanical, electrical, software, and industrial design efforts, and the development and testing of engineering and appearance prototypes. Negotiated evaluation contracts with potential licensees and manufacturers, and managed development and delivery of prototypes. Received Best Paper and Best Presentation Awards at International Appliance Technical Conference. Successfully proposed and completed SBIR research contracts for NASA and EPA.
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Manager
International Power Technology
(Public Company; 51-200 employees; Oil & Energy industry)
June 1986 — November 1987 (1 year 6 months)
Set new corporate standards of excellence in managing development of a $1.8 million cogeneration product. Introduced rapid product development and concurrent engineering methods. Direct responsibility for development of custom engines, including technology transfer with Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Initiated process improvement effort and increased efficiency and profitability of four power plants operated by IPT.
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Senior Engineer
International Power Technology
(Public Company; 51-200 employees; Oil & Energy industry)
February 1984 — May 1986 (2 years 4 months)
Responsible for selection, purchase, design, implementation and successful start-up of Distributed Digital Controls System for first-of-its-kind cogeneration power plant. Achieved commercial operation of three units at two widely separated locations in ten months from date of hire. Reduced costs by $100,000 per unit and start-up time by several weeks through innovative application of networked distributed controls. Managed IPT aspects of joint turbine test program with General Motors Allison Division to obtain detailed performance and lifetime data of steam-injected gas turbines in field service. Granted several patents on improved startup and shutdown procedures.
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Engineer
Pacific Gas & Electric Company
(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; Utilities industry)
November 1982 — February 1984 (1 year 4 months)
Member of a team supervising the design and testing of a control room training simulator for Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. Responsible for engineering review of simulation models, software, documentation and acceptance test procedures for instrumentation and control, mechanical and nuclear systems. Coordinated within Bechtel project organization and represented PG&E at Westinghouse job site.
Bill Conlon’s Education
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Ph.D. , Nuclear Engineering and Science , 1976 — 1982
Ph.D. Thesis: An Experimental Investigation of Boiling Water Reactor Parallel Channel Effects During a Postulated Loss of Coolant Accident. February 1982. 1354 pages.
- Activities and Societies:
- Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
M.Eng. , Nuclear Engineering , 1975 — 1976
Masters Thesis: BWRLOCA: A FORTRAN IV PROGRAM FOR THE ANALYSIS OF THERMAL AND HYDRAULIC TRANSIENTS IN BOILING WATER NUCLEAR REACTORS. December 1977. 118 pages
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
B.S. , Nuclear Engineering , 1971 — 1975
German minor
- Activities and Societies:
- U.S. Army ROTC Scholarship; National Sojourners Award.
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Plainedge High School
1969 — 1971
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Clear Creek High School
1967 — 1969
Additional Information
Bill Conlon’s Websites:
Bill Conlon’s Interests:
renewable energy, concentrated solar powre, clean tech, power systems, control systems, water treatment, heat transfer, digital asset management, web services, handball, yoga, organic gardening
Bill Conlon’s Groups:
IEEE, ASME, AAAS, Sigma Xi,
Past President Northern California Handball Association, San Mateo Elks Lodge
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Rensselaer Alumni Association (RPI) -
CleanTech -
Global Renewable Energy Network (GReEN) -
CSP Today: Group of Experts of the Concentrated Solar Thermal Industry
Bill Conlon’s Honors:
Patents
Control of Crystal Growth in Water Purification by Directional Freeze Crystallization; 5,555,747, September 17, 1996.
Method and Means for Liquid Purification by Batch Crystallization; 5,438,843, August 8, 1995
Melt System for Liquid Purification by Batch Crystallization; 5,231,852; August 3, 1993.
Melt System for Liquid Purification by Batch Crystallization; 5,113,664, May 19, 1992.
Method and Means for Optimizing Batch Crystallization for Purifying Water; 4,954,151; September 4, 1990.
Method and Apparatus for Improved Start-up Procedures in Conventional Steam Power Generators and Dual Fluid Cheng Cycle Engines; 4,790,269, December 13, 1988.
Method and Apparatus for Improved Start-up Procedures in Conventional Steam Power Generators and Dual Fluid Cheng Cycle Engines; 4,735,043; April 5, 1988.
Method and Apparatus for Improved Shutdown Procedures in Dual Fluid Cheng Cycle Engines; 4,597,256; July 1, 1986.
Awards:
Civil Air Patrol Spaatz Award #155
Bill Conlon’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- career opportunities
- consulting offers
- new ventures
- expertise requests
- business deals
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
