Based in Vancouver, BC, Northshore Smart Grid Consultants delivers expert electrical engineering services to utilities, independent power producers, and industrial facilities across North America.
Grounding design and audit services for substations from 60 kV to 500 kV, using WinIGS and SES-CDEGS. Field audits performed with Smart Grid Multimeter (SGM) sponsored by EPRI in compliance with IEEE Std 80 and 81.
AC Interference Studies
Assessment of electromagnetic coupling between power lines and nearby railways and metallic infrastructure under steady-state and fault conditions, per IEEE and CSA standards using SES-CDEGS.
Substation Design
Complete physical and electrical design for transmission and distribution substations from 25 kV to 500 kV, including layout, grounding, cable systems, auxiliary power, and construction engineering support.
Transmission Lines Electrical Studies
Comprehensive electrical studies for high-voltage transmission line design, including lightning performance, structure grounding, EMF, insulation coordination, corona analysis, radio interference, and transposition studies in compliance with IEEE, IEC, and CSA standards.
Virtual Power Plant (VPP) Design
Design including resource planning, development of day-ahead to close-to-real-time algorithms, software validation, and Owner's Engineer services to review designs of microgrids and VPPs.
Microgrid Design
Energy management and dispatch algorithm design spanning day-ahead through close-to-real-time horizons, simulation-based validation of control logic and islanding behaviour, and independent Owner's Engineer oversight to ensure technical rigour and alignment with project objectives.
Founded in Vancouver, Northshore Smart Grid Consultants Ltd has grown over 6 years from a small power systems consulting practice into a British Columbia's team of Principal Electrical Engineers. It benefits from expertise of the field test team who is led by Joel DuPlessis with 35 years of experience at BC Hydro Apparatus Testing team for complex measurements.
Our study team are licensed professional engineers with doctorate degree from either Germany or Canada. Our substation design team benefits from two Principal Electrical Engineers with over 100 design projects both for brownfield and greenfield stations from 60 kV to 500 kV delivered to utility companies.
Technical Integrity
Every recommendation we make is grounded in rigorous engineering analysis, not vendor relationships or commercial incentives.
Collaborative Delivery
We embed with client teams, share knowledge openly, and leave organisations with stronger internal capacity than when we arrived.
Our People
Dr. Ehsan Abbasi, P. Eng.
Director & Principal Engineer
Dr. Abbasi brings 22 years of specialized expertise in power system modelling, renewable energy integration, and T&D engineering. He holds Master's and doctoral degrees focused on short-term operational planning and transient analysis of power systems with high renewable penetration.
He has co-authored over 20 peer-reviewed publications in IEEE and CIGRE journals and conferences, and is the recipient of the IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics First Prize Paper Award (2015). He has contributed to CIGRE Task Force C6.04.02 on benchmark systems for renewable and distributed energy integration.
With over 11 years of hands-on North American project experience, his practice encompasses substation electrical design, grounding studies for facilities ranging from 60 kV to 500 kV, and AC interference assessments for transmission corridors. He is a registered Professional Engineer with EGBC and a participant in the EGBC PPMP program.
Joel DuPlessis
Lead Field Test Technologist
As an Electrical Technologist with 35 years of utility power system experience in electrical grounding systems and testing, Joel is a leading expert in advanced grounding tests. His career features a rare 24 years of specialized hands-on experience using the Smart Ground Multimeter (SGM) alongside WinIGS software.
Throughout his career, Joel DuPlessis has successfully executed comprehensive ground grid tests for over 200 substations, hundreds of transmission structures, and complex grounding networks. His technical mastery spans standard Fall-of-Potential and Wenner soil resistivity measurements, as well as ground impedance, step and touch potential testing, continuity verification, and deep ground grid investigations.
As an innovator in the field, he has developed unique testing methodologies to solve complex measurements, including unique touch potential issues at dam sites and grounding system incident investigations across critical power systems. His project portfolio is vast and geographically diverse, ranging from small rural installations to massive industrial stations with grid diagonals exceeding 800 meters, operating seamlessly from remote, rural environments to dense urban downtown cores with high interference.
Complete design services for transmission and distribution substations, including both greenfield developments and brownfield expansions.
Substation Layout & Equipment Integration
Development of optimized station layouts, equipment arrangements, bus configurations, clearances, and constructible installation details.
Grounding & Lightning Protection Systems
Design and analysis of grounding grids, step-and-touch potential mitigation, lightning protection systems, and compliance with utility and industry standards.
Cable Systems & Underground Infrastructure
Design of cable trenches, duct banks, direct-buried cable systems, conduit routing, cable tray systems, and station underground infrastructure.
Station Service & Auxiliary Power Systems
AC and DC station service design, control building and e-house power distribution, battery systems, and auxiliary equipment integration.
Construction & Installation Engineering Support
Preparation of detailed construction drawings, equipment installation details, grounding and conduit layouts, material specifications, and engineering support during construction and commissioning.
Major Equipment Specification & Vendor Integration
Development of technical specifications and engineering requirements for power transformers, circuit breakers, disconnect switches, instrument transformers, surge arresters, reactive compensation equipment, and other high-voltage substation assets, including technical bid evaluations, vendor drawing reviews, and equipment interface coordination.
Owner's Engineer Review of Designs
Independent technical review of substation designs on behalf of project owners, ensuring engineering quality, code compliance, constructability, and alignment with project requirements.
Lightning Performance Analysis
Modelling of transmission lines in commercial software (e.g., SES-Shield3D) based on IEEE Std 998, 1410, 1243, and IEC 62305. Determines optimal shield wire placement, expected shielding failure rates, and back-flashover rates based on tower grounding resistances and ground flash density. Results guide whether to prioritize line shielding or tower grounding improvements.
Structure Grounding Study
Assessment of structure footing resistance and supplementary grounding requirements, particularly for mountainous terrain and bedrock installations. Based on IEEE Std 80 (calculations) and IEEE Std 81 (field measurements). Identifies structures with deficient grounding and prioritizes them for inspection or improvement.
Electric and Magnetic Field Study
Assessment of electric and magnetic field levels within and outside the powerline right-of-way, ensuring compliance with IEEE C95.6 for public exposure limits. Includes comprehensive literature review suitable for public consultation requirements.
Vertical Clearances for Electrostatic Induction
Analysis of electrostatic induction at road crossings and parking lots in accordance with CSA C22.3 No. 1. Ensures body current is limited to 5 mA (or more stringent client-specified limits), determining minimum required vertical clearances.
Radio Interference and Audible Noise
Study of radio interference and audible noise generated by transmission lines, ensuring compliance with Industry Canada limits and applicable municipal noise regulations. Results inform minimum conductor sizing requirements to meet industry standards.
Corona Effect and Power Losses
Quantification of expected corona losses and resistive losses to feed into conductor selection and optimization. Results inform economic trade-offs between conductor size, losses, and capital cost over the project lifecycle.
Transposition and Phasing Arrangement
Determination of the number, location, and configuration of transpositions required to meet voltage unbalance requirements at terminal stations. Optimal phasing is assessed to minimize interference with railways, reduce electric field intensity, and lower required vertical clearances for large vehicles.
Insulation Coordination
Determination of switching surge levels using Electromagnetic Transient Programs (e.g., EMTP-RV), including frequency-dependent line models and station equipment. Study covers surge arresters, circuit breakers, transformers, shunt reactors, and capacitive voltage dividers. Identifies appropriate dead-time for single-pole reclosing and external mitigation measures where required. Results define required structure clearances and insulator string lengths.
Overview
AC interference occurs when transmission or distribution facilities are located near metallic infrastructure such as railways, communication systems, or other metallic assets.
Electromagnetic coupling under normal or fault conditions may result in hazardous induced voltages and currents, creating safety concerns for personnel and affecting nearby infrastructure.
Utilities, railway operators, and governing standards often require AC Interference Studies to assess potential impacts and determine appropriate mitigation measures.
Standards & Software
Steady-state and fault conditions are studied per national and international standards: IEEE Std 2746, IEEE Std 80, and CSA C22.3 No. 6.
Studies are performed using the SES-CDEGS software suite.
Accurate electrical models are developed to assess both safety factors and system integrity aspects.
Railway Systems
Evaluation of step and touch potential hazards for personnel safety.
Assessment of interference with signalling systems and impacts on insulated rail joints.
Determination of required mitigations for safe and reliable railway operation.
Owner's Engineer Review of Studies
Independent technical review of AC interference studies on behalf of project owners, verifying methodology, modelling accuracy, standard compliance, and adequacy of proposed mitigation measures.
Substation Grounding Design
Grounding studies for greenfield and brownfield substations, from 60 kV distribution substations to 500 kV transmission and generation stations.
Over 100 substation grounding designs and audits completed, mostly for utility companies across North America.
Grounding System Audits
Auditing grounding system performance of industrial plants and utility substations using the advanced Smart Grid Multimeter (SGM) developed by Dr. A.P. Sakis Meliopoulos with sponsorship from EPRI.
Study reports produced in compliance with IEEE Std 80 and 81, as well as applicable utility practice.
Leveraging expertise earned with BC Hydro for both field test audits and grounding performance assessments.
Software & Tools
WinIGS and SES-CDEGS software suite for grounding studies.
Comprehensive computer-aided field tests by use of Smart Ground Multimeter (SGM) to validate the designs and auditing ground grid performance.
Owner's Engineer Review of Studies
Independent technical review of grounding studies and field test reports on behalf of project owners, verifying design methodology, IEEE standard compliance, and adequacy of safety and performance assessments.
On-site grounding test setup at a substation with the Smart Ground Multimeter (SGM) sponsored by EPRI.
Electricity Market & Power Systems Analysis
Electricity market and power systems analyses to establish the structure of a VPP and optimize resource planning based on project-specific needs.
Operational Algorithm Design
Design of scheduling and dispatch algorithms spanning day-ahead through close-to-real-time horizons, enabling reliable and optimized VPP operation.
Validation by Simulation
High-level studies to validate VPP performance, control logic, and system behaviour against design requirements and operational targets.
Owner's Engineer Oversight
Independent Owner's Engineer oversight of VPP design and control algorithms, ensuring technical rigour, compliance, and alignment with project objectives.
Reference Work
E. Abbasi, "Coordinated Primary Control Reserve by Flexible Demand and Wind Farms through Ancillary Service Centered Virtual Power Plants," International Transactions on Electrical Energy Systems, October 2017.
Design of energy management and dispatch algorithms spanning day-ahead through close-to-real-time horizons, enabling reliable, resilient, and optimized microgrid operation.
Validation by Simulation
High-level simulation studies to validate microgrid performance, control logic, and islanding behaviour against design requirements and operational targets.
Owner's Engineer Oversight
Independent Owner's Engineer oversight of microgrid design and control algorithms, ensuring technical rigour, compliance, and alignment with project objectives.
Reference Work
K. Strunz, E. Abbasi, N. H. Duc, "DC Microgrid for Wind and Solar Power Integration," IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 115–126, Mar. 2014. (First Prize Paper Award, 2015; 350+ citations.)
