Chris Brown knows what it means to keep cool under pressure. As Head of HVAC, it’s literally his job. Based out of our Wakefield offices—and travelling to sites across the country as needed—Chris oversees the smooth running and maintenance of all HVAC systems across our portfolio of BESS facilities.
“People outside the industry might be surprised that all battery containers include climate control systems,” Chris explains. “But temperature is key to safety and performance. If batteries are housed in an environment that’s too hot or cold, their performance drops off, and they’ll be unable to store and discharge energy efficiently.”
He continues: “This impacts the site’s ability to support wholesale energy trades and to minimise the impact of energy supply fluctuations. So, our HVAC operation is absolutely essential in balancing the grid and helping clients get the best returns on their investment—and it will become even more important as we bring more renewables into the UK’s energy mix.”
To give an idea of the scale of Chris’s responsibilities, our Creyke Beck Storage facility has 42 containers, each with four HVAC units. That adds up to 168 units on just one site. “Creyke Beck is a 50 MW site, so it’s small in the grand scheme of things,” Chris notes. “We have some 200 MW sites, and our largest is 300 MW with over 1600 chiller systems and water-cooled assets. That should give you an idea of how many units we maintain across the portfolio—and these numbers will only increase as the business continues to grow.”
Chris is supported by a nationwide team of HVAC engineers, so he doesn’t do as much manual work these days. “Most of my time is spent planning and coordinating servicing work to ensure it complies with F-GAS regulations. I’m also IOSH-qualified, so when I do travel to sites, it’s usually to approve risk and method assessments before the work starts—and to ensure our internal SOPs are followed.”
Throughout his career, Chris has remained committed to building his skills and knowledge. “I’ve been in the industry for about 20 years—getting started when I was just a lad fresh out of school. I have qualifications in multi-skilled engineering, refrigeration, and air conditioning. I also have some specialist electrical and electronics qualifications, which I plan to develop and build on with SEO’s support. All this gives me a full picture of the interplay between HVAC and the other BESS systems—as well as the batteries themselves.”
“It’s a great base to build on, and the management team here have certainly helped me do that. For example, last year, I did my fire training course. Now, I’m qualified to isolate the fire systems within the containers so the team can start their HVAC maintenance work. It makes things much more efficient and continues our push to bring all the necessary O&M service-related skills and knowledge in-house.”
Since taking on a more senior role, the structure of Chris’s working week has changed quite dramatically: “Looking back, I was on the road, in hotel rooms, living out of a suitcase a lot of the time—which can be a lonely game,” he tells us. “And it’s not ideal when you have a home life. It’s not fair on the wife and kids. But with a growing team and centralised support from our 24/7 staff control centre, I don’t have to travel quite as much. In fact, I actually do a lot more hours than I used to, but I’m home a lot more these days. It’s a good balance that works for everyone.”
Chris concludes: “These days, I try to spend as much free time as I can with my family. I’ve got three kids, so my time’s taken up ferrying them to and from football training, rugby training, and dance classes—and watching their games and shows. I also coach my son’s rugby team. When I do have time for myself, I tend to get down to the gym and train. On weekends, when we all have some downtime, we like to take our dog for long walks. This usually involves a coffee stop for me and my wife—and me getting hassled to buy chocolates, cakes or some other kind of sweet treats for the kids. I want to be present in all their lives and have a positive impact as they grow up—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Committed to his family and work, Chris is a superb ambassador for our company, and we can’t wait to see how his career with us will continue to progress.
