Position: Vice President and Principal Consultant, co-founder

Year Joined Firm: 2003
Power Industry Years: 30
Education: BS, Electrical Engineering with Highest Honors from South Dakota State University. 

Expertise: power systems analysis, wind generation, wind integration, distributed generation, modeling and simulation

Bob Zavadil is is responsible for developing and overseeing EnerNex Corporation’s power system engineering and consulting business. Bob is a nationally recognized expert in electric power system issues for wind generation. His clients in the wind generation industry range from turbine designers and manufacturers to project developers and operators, along with transmission service providers and independent transmission system operators.

He has extensive experience with new and emerging technologies for electric power generation, delivery, and utilization, including distributed generation and power electronics-based equipment. Bob has over twenty years experience with advanced modeling and simulation tools for electric power systems, which he routinely uses in his consulting engagements to provide a comprehensive technical and analytical foundation for advice and recommendations to clients.

Prior to founding EnerNex Corporation, Bob was a Senior Consultant at Electrotek Concepts in Knoxville.  There, he consulted for a number of Electrotek clients including the Electric Power Research Institute, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, major U.S. electric utilities, and private corporations. His technical responsibilities included distribution system and end-user power quality and power electronics, motor and drive technology and applications, power quality and power quantity measurements, and renewable energy applications. Bob managed technical operations in Electrotek's Mountain View, California office from late 1992 until his 1996 transfer to sister company BMI. In 1997, he returned to Electrotek. In addition to consulting, his responsibilities included new corporate product development, sales and marketing of Electrotek products and services, and development of new business areas and ventures.

Highlights of Bob's consulting activities include:

• Principal investigator on a project for Xcel Energy to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the potential operational impacts of wind generation on the utility's system in the Upper Midwest
• Principal investigator for a study for Nebraska Public Power District to examine  implications of wind generation on power system performance 
• Technical leader on a project for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas focused on developing dynamic models of commercial ERCOT Dynamic Model Development
• Contributor to a series of projects directed at determining the impacts of substantial amounts of intermittent wind generation on the real-time operations and short-term operations planning functions of utility control areas. The basic analytical and simulation methodologies have been extended to cover the full range of possible impacts – from unit governor operations to weekly unit commitment - for application to the Big Island of Hawaii
• Lead Engineer on multi-year end-use power quality research effort for EPRI that involved numerous on-site studies for participating utility customers. (1990 – 1992)
• Lead Engineer on a multi-year research and development project for EPRI Photovoltaics Program. Member of international technical team for coordination of research, development, and testing activities with Japanese electric utilities and government institutions focused on identifying and resolving distribution system issues related to high penetrations of residential photovoltaic systems. (1990 through 1995).
• Served as secretary of EPRI-sponsored National Motor and Drives Steering Committee (1991 through 1995). This committee was founded by EPRI to provide a forum for electric motor and drive users, researchers, and manufacturers to discuss and exchange information on motor drive market needs, technology, research, and applications. As secretary, Mr. Zavadil was responsible for coordinating all aspects of the committee's activities, including meetings, technical presentations, and working group activities.
• Primary consultant for EPRI program engaged in development and commercialization of new electric motor drive technologies. Assisted client with technology and market assessments, business planning, and marketing of joint ventures and startup opportunities for bringing EPRI-owned intellectual property to market.
• Member of EPRI-sponsored Technical Review Committee overseeing development of innovative direct-drive wind turbine generation technology using advanced motor and power electronics technology. (1993-1995)
• Expert witness in patent infringement suit (Kenetech Corporation vs. Enercon Gmb, United States International Trade Commission, Investigation No. 337-TA-376) for a domestic wind turbine manufacturer (1995-1996).

Bob served as Marketing Manager for BMI following their merger with Electrotek in 1995. As a member of the management staff, he was responsible for all marketing-related activities, including new product development, sales representative support, product documentation, creation of promotional materials and execution of promotional plans, and customer education.

Prior to joining Electrotek, Bob worked in the High Voltage Protection and Technical Support Sections of the Transmission and Distribution Engineering Department at Nebraska Public Power District. His responsibilities included technical studies on specialized protective relaying schemes, substation grounding, irrigation system/power line compatibility, and detailed analysis of transmission system outages. He also performed technical electrical studies associated with the MANDAN 500 kV transmission project, including electromagnetic compatibility, switching surges, and design of series capacitor protection schemes using metal oxide varistors. He conducted seminars for internal staff and customers on harmonics, grounding, transients, and inductive coordination. Bob worked with commercial and industrial customers on power quality matters related to equipment failure, process interruption, and monitoring.

He is a member of the IEEE Power Engineering Society, IEEE Power Electronics Society, and IEEE Industrial Applications Society.