Mr. Bales holds Master and Bachelor of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering with an energy concentration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, as well as a self-designed Bachelor of Science degree in Energy Studies, which included policy, technical and economics coursework. Graduate engineering studies included site and load analysis for a district heating network for a combined heat and power system in Lawrence, Massachusetts, the development and building of a wind turbine blade structural test rig, and the development of a computer program to evaluate the relative value of the heat and electrical power outputs of a combined heat and power (CHP) facility using exergy (thermodynamic availability of energy) as a metric. Undergraduate work included the energy option with classes on thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, energy efficiency, solar engineering, wind energy, independent study project on aerodynamics, and a contracted peat pyrolysis project. He has also attended numerous energy-related conferences and seminars on building science, boiler, HVAC, geothermal & solar thermal system design, energy management systems & temperature controls, solar electrical & distributed electricity, combined heat & power systems, and other energy-related technologies.