Every person at Sunetric plays an important role in our mission to bring affordable solar power to the people of Hawaii. No job is more important than that of project engineer; our project engineers are responsible for the quality and technical precision of every installation. They are our front-line soldiers, who ensure that every new installation is done according to the National Electrical Code. Project engineers are also responsible for the Balance of System (BOS is everything in a photovoltaic system other than the photovoltaic panels), the engineering design, and the research and implementation of new products.

 

One of our best and brightest project engineers is Gabriel Chong. Gabriel was born and raised right here in Hawaii and graduated from Kamehameha Schools, Kapalama Campus. He went to the mainland to earn an engineering degree from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. Gabriel also minored in music and still plays and teaches guitar on the weekends. He is a physical fitness buff and enjoys working with computers.

 

Gabriel became fascinated by the potential and importance of renewable energy as part of his collegiate studies. The Elizabethtown College engineering department had a significant focus on renewable energy systems and he began working with the technology from his freshman year in 2004. His first project was a competition for the design of an efficient and quick energy storage system. Gabriel and his team won the competition with an innovative application of ultra-capacitors.

 

After graduating from Elizabethtown, Gabriel was ready and eager to get professionally involved in the renewable energy field. Gabriel is vocal about his love of solar energy and the potential for renewable energy to help the environment. He can talk for hours about both the obvious and the subtle benefits of solar panels. From the passive cooling effects of the absorbent material to the economic benefits of using a rooftop to generate electricity, he is a passionate about expanding the use of photovoltaic installations – and he found the perfect outlet for that passion after his graduation in 2008, joining Sunetric as a project engineer in October of that year.

 

Gabriel’s enthusiasm for his work has led him to seek further education and certification in solar power technologies. With Sunetric’s help, Gabriel obtained his Advanced Sunpower Certification and is now even better prepared to help Sunetric’s customers design and install the optimum solar photovoltaic system for their individual needs. He remains committed to the vision of a better energy future, and knows that Sunetric is the place where he wants to help make that happen, saying “Sunetric is not a company. Sunetric is a family.”

Gabriel was recently promoted to Team Leader for Sunetric’s Residential Operations.