Key Features
- General power system consultancy
- Grid Connection Support
- Concept Development
- Guidance on new Technologies and markets
- System Upgrade Advice
- Site Surveys
- Energy Policy Guidance
- Due Diligence Services
- Client / Owner’s Engineer
- Energy Strategy Consultancy
- Techno-Economic Assessments
- Technical Bid Analysis
- Review of DisCo / IEDN proposals
- Independent Design Reviews and Verification
- Power System Automation
- Generator selection and application
- Support during FATs and commissioning.
- Safety & Operability (SAFOP) Reviews
- Hazard & Operability (HAZOP) Studies
- Power System Studies
- Protection Settings Coordination Studies
- Sales & marketing of Power Equipment
- Obtaining Licences & Compliance with Regulatory Requirements
Power System Consultancy Areas
iPEC provides a wide range of power system consultancy services. We support our clients in a wide range of activities, by providing support to their in-house knowledge. The scope of our consultancy activities can vary enormously and has ranged from helping to develop initial system concepts, site surveys, acting as Client / Owner’s engineer, due diligence services, investigating protection tripping investigations, and providing guidance on planned upgrade strategies. At iPEC we pride ourselves on offering, practical, clear, cost effective and concise advice on how to tackle problems. Some of the more common power system consultancy areas are detailed below:
When a company is considering a new development, it is usually necessary ether to get a new electrical supply from the DisCo or upgrade the existing supply. While this may sound straight forward, DisCos can often be difficult to deal with directly and will frequently ask for information that may not readily be available or in the specific form they require. iPEC can act on a client’s behalf to liaise directly with the DisCo, and help gather the correct information, present it in a suitable way and complete the associated paperwork. In addition, iPEC can help analyse different options of DisCo supply approaches and advise on the most suitable and cost-effective approach.
Developing an initial power system design concept, can seem like a daunting task, as there are many factors to consider, and which require compromises between performance, reliability, and cost. iPEC can help develop these designs to meet these conflicting requirements and help optimize any potential power system design or plans for future expansion. As part of the concept development stage, we will consider issues such as system redundancy, cost, suitable voltage levels, fault levels, equipment ratings and market availability as well as more frequently forgotten considerations like operability, expandability, outage planning and tie-ins. iPEC can help your in-house team come up with realistic cost estimates for projects and help shape decisions on the best investment strategy for any capital assets.
Power systems are changing rapidly, with new technologies and market products being developed and introduced by vendors and system operators. iPEC can help our clients navigate this complicated area by providing clear guidance on how these technologies are likely to affect system operation and plant design and interpreting the technical requirements of new technologies such as battery energy storage systems, dynamic UPS, etc apart from ancillary services requested by the amended Electricity Act 2023.
Power system frequently require upgrades due to equipment limits being exceeded, or exceeding their working life, and this can cause difficulties to owners who then face the difficulty of how to expand or upgrade an operational plant in a cost-effective way, without facing a major shut-down and loss of operational service. In these scenarios, iPEC can examine the operation of the power system and try and identify mitigation strategies, tie-in points and give advice on planning network outages and developing strategies that allow upgrade of existing, overloaded systems without putting the system at risk. We will often carry out outage planning and determine energization settings for interconnectors and power transformers.
iPEC can attend a Client Site to carry out a high-level site survey to assess the system configuration, operation, and performance, and provide guidance on its suitability and condition. Surveys can consideration issues such as network topology, switchgear and transformer ratings, suitability of protection equipment, and identifying any bottlenecks. This can be done as part of planned routine maintenance, or in anticipation of planned upgrade and expansion works.
Many project developers have limited in house technical expertise, and this can make dealing with DisCos a difficult and challenging task. Similarly, preparing, and writing clear project scope for potential contractors to bid against can also be challenging, so that all contractors are bidding against the same project requirements, and scope is not missed or misunderstood. At iPEC, we can work with you, to help liaise with the DisCo to ensure that their proposals and constraints are understood by everyone and suggest changes to the project design to reduce or eliminate network reinforcement costs. Likewise, we can act as an impartial review of contractor proposals to check that multiple bids are all based on the same project scope, and there are no unexpected exclusions.