CHEYENNE, Wyo.—Russell Hume is modest and relatively unassuming, despite the grandeur of his “Energy Czar” nickname.
“I’m kind of a boring guy,” Hume said after a brief pause during a telephone interview.
Boring or not, Hume is one of the most important figures in the U.S. Air Force’s campaign to become energy efficient.
Born in Cheyenne and currently living in Colorado Springs, Colo., Hume has been involved in several green and renewable energy initiatives with the Air Force Academy, where he works as an engineer and project manager.
Because he worked as a manager on various projects that dealt with energy conservation at the academy, his supervisors began to refer to him as their “Energy Czar.”
“It sort of started with the previous superintendent of the academy, and then the base wing commander started calling me that as well,” Hume said. “Of course, when I spoke to a delegation from Poland about energy, the translation of the name didn’t work so well. Probably because they have a different sort of relationship with the czar than we do.”
Hume graduated from Cheyenne’s Central High in 1991.
During high school, he began working at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, surveying missile silos, which he attributes as his first steps toward working with the Air Force for a career.
After high school, he attended the University of Wyoming, graduating in 1996 and finishing in the top 10 percent of his class with a degree in mechanical engineering.
“I really wanted to major in aerospace engineering, but my adviser said to try mechanical engineering because it was a bit broader,” Hume said.
His involvement with the Air Force grew after college and has since matured into a 16-year career, culminating in his current position as a mechanical engineer for the Department of Defense at the Air Force Academy.
His work has earned him several awards, including taking the top spot for his individual performance at the annual Air Force Energy Conservation Awards.
“I have worked on a lot of different projects that were renewable energy based, most recently on the installation and design of the United States Air Force Academy Solar Power Plant,” Hume said.
The solar power plant project at the academy was created with federal stimulus funds and was one of the Department of Defense’s top projects in 2010.
Designed to help the base reach net zero use—meaning using only as much power as needed—the project also looked to educate the cadets about the benefits of renewable energy going forward.
“The Department of Defense and the Air Force have been trying to be more responsible about energy use and meet that net zero use requirement,” said Col. Rick LoCastro, base commander for the Air Force Academy. “Because we also are an academy, we have the added benefit of being able to teach the cadets about renewable energy use so they can go out and tell everyone else, ‘Hey, this is what’s coming down the pike.’ It is a unique opportunity.”
In addition to working on projects like the solar power plant, Hume also has given various presentations across the U.S. to groups like the National Propane and Gas Association.
Hume said he has no plans to leave the Air Force Academy anytime soon, saying that he likes the unique atmosphere of being on campus.
“I can’t picture living or working anywhere else,” he said.
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Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle – Cheyenne,
