Jim Walker's Bio
Writer. Past business leader, engineer, and research analyst focused on energy, tech, and entrepreneurs.
Business leader
Vice President, Ameresco. Jim built Ameresco's Northeast Solar PV business, which constructed solar PV systems for municipalities, hospitals, corporations, utilities, and state agencies. The PV systems were built on municipal landfills, parking lots and garages, airport terminals, school roofs, and large fields for utility-scale projects.
Vice President, Xenergy. Jim created an energy supply business to cut natural gas costs for “rust belt” glass, steel, and other industrial manufacturers. These efforts kept plants in rural Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts in operation, thus saving blue-collar jobs.
Engineer
Energy engineer, Xenergy. Jim conducted energy efficiency audits of manufacturing and commercial buildings.
New products development engineer, Carrier. Jim’s first job as a young engineer was to develop a new residential heat pump for Carrier Air Conditioning Corp, earning a patent on the new design.
Analyst
Energy technology analyst and writer, Forrester Research. Jim researched e-marketplace technologies disrupting electric and gas utility business models.
Analyst and writer, Global Insight. Jim wrote natural gas industry briefs on supply, demand, and price trends.
Analyst and writer, Cambridge Energy Research Associates. Jim assisted CERA in developing a 20-year scenario analysis of the future of electric utilities.
Analyst and presenter at Sun Microsystems. Jim framed technology solutions for electric utility CIOs and CEOs, helping the account executives sell solutions rather than commodities.
Volunteering to help start-up entrepreneurs
MIT Enterprise Forum. Jim created and co-founded the MIT Ignite Clean Energy Business Plan Competition for the MIT Enterprise Forum and served on its Board of Directors for six years.
MassVentures. Jim reviewed and scored cleantech business proposals for Mass Ventures funding.
Education
Jim holds an MBA from the M.I.T. Sloan School in Cambridge, MA, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA.
Jim is a registered professional engineer in Massachusetts.
Awards, Licenses, and Patents
Heat pump patent from Carrier Corporation
MIT 2006 Presidential Citation Award
MIT Enterprise Forum’s All-Star Volunteer Award.
Licensed professional mechanical engineer (PE)
Jim’s career history is on LinkedIn.