Lucio Mesquita, Ph.D.

Image Lucio Mesquita
Senior Engineer Solar Thermal

I joined Natural Resources Canada in 2016, after working as a researcher, consultant and engineer in solar thermal technologies for over 25 years. As a solar thermal engineer, I help develop solar heating and cooling applications, including designing, prototyping and testing of components and systems, performing analysis of technology deployment initiatives and evaluating systems long-term field performance through monitoring. I also support the development of short and long term (seasonal) thermal storage, im particular, Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES)

Current research and/or projects

I am currently focused on the performance analysis and improvements for the Drake Landing Solar Community - a unique community of 52 houses heated by a seasonal thermal storage solar district heating system in Okotoks, AB - and on the cost-reduction and optimization of large-scale renewable energy communities. I also support the activities of the National Solar Test Facility in Mississauga, ON. The NSTF conducts tests of liquid and air-based solar thermal collectors and systems both for research and performance certification purposes. Those projects help support Canadian government policies related to energy security, energy conservation and clean growth.

Research and/or project statements

  • solar thermal technologies for buildings
  • seasonal and short-term thermal storage, including Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES)
  • renewable energy system communities
  • integration of solar thermal into district heating networks

Professional activities / interests

  • Collaboration with Canadian private sector and universities, municipal and other federal government departments in the development of new solar thermal and thermal storage technologies and applications
  • International collaboration through International Energy Agency activities

Education and awards

BSc in Mechanical Engineering, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (Brazil), 1993

PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Queen’s University, 2008

International experience and/or work

I have contributed to a few International Energy Agency– Solar Heating and Cooling Programme Tasks, including past Tasks related to solar cooling and the current Task 55 - Towards the Integration of Large SHC Systems into District Heating and Cooling (DHC) Networks. My activities also involve international collaboration with Chinese partners for the development of solar district heating with seasonal thermal storage in China.

Key publications

Mesquita, L., McClenahan, D., Thornton, J., Carriere, J., Wong, B., 2017. Drake Landing Solar Community: 10 Years of Operation, Proceedings of the Solar World Congress, ISES, Abu Dhabi, UAE.  http://proceedings.ises.org/paper/swc2017/swc2017-0033-Mesquita.pdf