“Powering Nations by Empowering People. Education is the great equalizer!”
Mr. Wallace (Rob) also has experience managing engineering, design, and development of all renewable energy projects for a host of private and public clients. Some noteworthy clients include the University of Maryland Medical Systems, Johns Hopkins University, City of Baltimore, Carroll County Government, CHIMES International, the ARMY, Solusi College in Liberia West Africa, and Pasitos D Jesus Orphanage in the Dominican Republic.
Rob sits on the executive boards of CHIMES International, University of Maryland Medical Center, and Vote Solar. Mr. Wallace has also served as President of the Baltimore Chapter of AABE (American Association of Blacks in Energy). Recent projects/awards include a 13.24 MW solar portfolio for Carroll County Government, 10MW Virtual Aggregate Net Metering project located at Nixon Farms in western Howard County,26MW rooftop and ground mount portfolio for Howard County Government, a 4.8MWDC ballasted ground mount system for Fort Campbell, 20MWDC ground mount system located in Frederick/Carroll Counties, 5MWDC ground mount system in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, and a 1.2MW plus 4MWH storage microgrid solution for the island on Anegada, British Virgin Islands.
Mr. Wallace has over 350MWs of solar experience, with 30MW plus of capped landfills. His flagship accomplishment was the development of BITHENERGY’s HRES (Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems) solution for residential and commercial structural retrofits. Recognizing that solar PV energy systems have limitations, and that wind power based clean energy generation also has its drawbacks, Mr. Wallace designed, built, installed, and successfully tested a user-friendly integrated PV & wind-based small energy system that can be modified for use on both small and large commercial and residential buildings. The test system, installed on a residential townhome in Baltimore’s Cherry Hill neighborhood, is realizing energy savings and serves as a model of the future in clean energy for low-income housing.
Under Mr. Wallace’s leadership, in 2014 BITHENERGY was ranked #8 in the Country for Solar Developers and #49 for Solar Contractors. In 2015 BITHENERGY was ranked #1 by Fortune Magazine for the fastest growing “Inner City Business” in the country. In addition, BITHENERGY was awarded the first task order under the MATOC (Multiple Award Task Order Contract) for the Department of Army (7 Giga Watt opportunity). Mr. Wallace also developed and constructed both the first VANM (Virtual Aggregate Net Metering) and the first bilateral settlement power clearing systems in the region.
In 2015, after the death of Freddie Gray, Mr. Wallace's focus shifted from investing in projects to investing in people. Following the aftermath of the Baltimore riots, Mr. Wallace, Mr. Ray Lewis, and Ms. Cherie Brooks, came together to form Power52 Foundation, a not-for-profit. Power52 Foundation's mission was to break the cycle of poverty by training the unemployed and underemployed, in solar construction and maintenance. In 2017 Mr. Wallace and Mr. Lewis branched off to start Power52 Energy Solutions, a For-Profit entity that focused on solar development and construction, performed by Power52 Foundation graduates.
In 2019 Rob and Ray launched the British Virgin Island-based Caribbean Energy Solutions and Caribbean Energy Institute, as part of the "Powering Nations by Empowering People" campaign, which assists emerging nations in achieving resiliency, clean generation, and storage through workforce development and economic impact.
In 2019, during the COVID outbreak, Mr. Wallace authored a book called "52 Principles to Power". This book outlines the life skills and bible-based principles, that have been instrumental in the success of both the Power52 Foundation and Caribbean Energy Institute's training programs. 52 Principles to Power teaches the biblical application of each principle while providing real-life examples of how these principles have played a critical role in Mr. Wallace's own life and development.
Mr. Wallace pursued his Masters's degree in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Lab, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic and State University. He is an SMA Solar Academy graduate, a certified Wind System Design Specialist, and a certified EVSE installer for GE’s.
Engineer
Entrepreneur
Social entrepreneur
Software Developer
Innovator
Judge