Page 19 - Suncor 360 - January 2015

YOU DO WHAT?
Shooting the breeze with a wind expert
Gavin Lowe has never worked a day in his life.
As wind operations manager, he has a job, of course – he’s responsible for the operation of our six wind energy facilities. He’s built a career over the past 22 years in the wind power industry, from technical operations to business and administrative roles. However, these experiences don’t look like work to Gavin, because he took Confucius’ advice early on: ‘Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.’
The wind power industry was in its infancy in the early ‘90s when Gavin was studying to become an electrical engineering technologist in Lethbridge, Alta. Driving from school to his hometown of Fernie, B.C. one day, his curiosity was piqued when he saw turbines being constructed at the Cowley Ridge Wind Project in southwestern Alberta. He stopped by the site, and shortly thereafter secured a position helping to construct Canada’s first commercial wind farm.
His fateful detour eventually led him to become involved with other wind projects throughout the U.S. and Europe before returning to Cowley Ridge as site manager. Through increased experience and promotions, Gavin had opportunities to become involved with several aspects of
wind projects, including design, development, construction and operations. He joined Suncor in 2011.
The satisfaction Gavin feels with his chosen vocation has been built upon two keystones: variety and great people.
He describes his regular day at Suncor
as very diverse, whether it’s troubleshooting technical issues or managing wind energy service contracts, budgets and regulatory permits.
“Every day is different; I never know what’s waiting around the corner. Wind turbines are machines with many moving parts. Our Wintering Hills facility (near Drumheller, Alta.) consists of 55 turbines and it’s kind of like owning 55 cars – we have to keep them all tuned to operate efficiently.”
Currently, Gavin is occupied with two new wind projects for Suncor – the
40 megawatt (MW) Adelaide wind project in southwestern Ontario and the 100 MW Cedar Point project near Sarnia.
“I’m involved primarily with the operations side of wind projects, but it is tied closely with the development side – all of the
pieces are intertwined,” Gavin explains. “So many groups support operations – engineering, contracting, supply chain, health, safety and environment. We also deal closely with approvals and permitting.
“It’s very satisfying to help take a project from a concept on a piece of paper and see it through construction to operations.”
Gavin’s extensive experience and contributions to the wind power industry were recently celebrated by his peers when he was given the Individual Leadership Award by CanWEA, the Canadian Wind Energy Association. The annual award is given to someone who has contributed significantly to the advancement of wind energy in Canada. “It was extremely humbling to be nominated,” he says. “Then to win it was a real honour.”
Despite his established career and the depth and breadth of his expertise, Gavin refuses to be called a wind power pioneer. “I’ve just
had the benefit of great mentorship and have been able to learn a lot from
some really amazing teachers.”
Gavin Lowe, right, receives the CanWEA Individual Leadership Award in 2014.
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Learn more about our wind operations on suncor.com > About Us > Wind Power.
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