Issue: 79  /  January 2022

Foreword

Welcome to the first edition of the PSC News in 2022. This issue includes several highlights that I’m delighted to share with you.

First, I am proud to present a video we’ve just launched that explains PSC’s vision and values and how they relate to the evolution of our industry.

We’ve also launched the PSC Podcast. The first episode features our own Matt Robinson talking about the energy transition and PSC’s role in it.

I’m pleased to share an interview between our Business & Strategy Manager, Sarah Parsons, and one of PSC’s co-founders and its former CEO, Tony Armstrong. This article offers insight into how and why PSC was started over 26 years ago.

Along with introducing you to our latest new hires, we’re also pleased to announce our new North America Power Systems General Manager, Daniel Leon. We’re excited to have him on board and working from our Vancouver, BC office.

To all our valued clients and PSC News readers, we wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. We’d love to help make 2022 a fruitful year for you. Please let us know how we can support you and contribute to your success. If you’re interested in sharing your industry articles or content with us, please reach out. We’d be honored to include you.

Alex Boyd, President & CEO

By Alex Boyd

2021, the year that was

As PSC CEO Alex Boyd shares his thoughts about the past year, he ponders what our work lives will look like and the urgency surrounding achieving carbon net-zero by 2050.

By Sarah Parsons

Q&A with PSC Co-Founder, Tony Armstrong 

PSC’s Business & Strategy Manager, Sarah Parsons, interviews original PSC Co-Founder Tony Armstrong to learn about how and why the company was founded more than 26 years ago.

By Kevin Cheung

PSC welcomes new North America Power Systems GM Daniel Leon 

The entire PSC North America team is thrilled to announce and celebrate Daniel Leon as our new Power Systems General Manager.

By Matt Robinson

PSC launches “PSC Podcast” 

PSC is pleased to launch the “PSC Podcast” featuring PSC thought leaders and energy experts sharing their ideas, perspectives and insights about the electric power industry. In this, our inaugural episode, Matt Robinson, PSC’s head of global strategic service development, discusses the energy transition and PSC’s role in it

By Kevin Cheung

The road to V2G

V2G technology can create opportunities for power grids and EV owners to help reach and maintain sustainability targets, but we’re not quite there yet.

Distribution System Operational Training 

We help train DSOs to best achieve their goal of maintaining safe, reliable and economical electricity for their customers.

By Ann Burns and Scott Murray

Reflecting on Jicable HVDC ’21

PSC offers its takeaways from Jicable HVDC ’21 International Symposium on HVDC Cable Systems.

DistribuTECH has been postponed 

Mark your calendars for May 23-25 and be sure to stop by our booth! 

hydrogen symbol

— PSC Asia Pacific —

Kiarash Gharani Khajeh PSC welcomes Kiarash (Kia) who has joined PSC as a power system engineer. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in power engineering in 2009 and 2012 respectively. He is currently completing his Ph.D. degree with the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, University of Queensland, Australia. From 2014 to 2018, Kia worked as a power system engineer (for energizing the extension part of a petrochemical company), HV substation designer\project engineer (for more than 20 middle eastern projects) at Monenco Iran Consulting Company. Kia will be part of the Power Systems Studies team based in Brisbane, Australia.

Kaustubh Gupta We welcome Kaustubh to our PSC Finance team. Kaustubh joins us as the Senior Financial Accountant and will be responsible for month-end, including WIP, working with the various auditors and tax advisors around the globe, as well as working together with rest of the finance team moving various projects forward as part of our process automation. Kaustubh has previously worked in Australia and New Zealand in a number of finance roles, most recently having returned from Australia late last year, working at the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. Kaustabh will be based in the Johnsonville office in New Zealand.  

Darren Matchett PSC welcomes Darren to the Market Systems team in Australia. Darren has joined PSC as a Senior Market Systems Consultant and will be working on market systems projects. Darren received his BEng (Hons) Electronics & Electrical Engineering from the University of Edinburgh. He has considerable experience in full-stack software development and has been developing software for more than 20 years. He is a strong advocate for the Agile Methodology approach and is a seasoned SCRUM Master. His career spans various industries such as financial services, educational establishments, insurance, and government. Darren will be based in the Perth office.

— PSC North America —

Ajinai Ajinai PSC welcomes Ajinai who has joined PSC as a System Studies Consultant.  Ajinai completed his Master’s degree in 2017 in Electrical Engineering at the University of Manitoba and is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program at the same university.  Since 2017 he has been working with Stantec (formerly Teshmont Consultants) performing various electromagnetic transients, HVDC and FACTS studies. Ajinai is currently based in Winnipeg, but will eventually move to Vancouver.

Corie Luitjens PSC welcomes Corie Luitjens as our first-ever Talent Acquisition Manager. She is responsible for all NA recruiting and building a global team of talent acquisition (TA) professionals in order to meet all recruiting needs for the entire company. Corie’s career spans all types of professional recruiting and general Human Resources experiences, ranging from Talent Acquisition to HR Director to HR Systems Consulting. Corie will be based remotely in the US.

Hoang Trinh PSC welcomes Hoang Trinh to the Operational Technologies group in North America. Hoang is joining us as a Junior Consultant and Engineer in Training.  His first assignment will be for a client in Canada. Hoang graduated from the University of Alberta with a BSEE and is eager to develop his career in Electrical Engineering. Welcome aboard Hoang!

Daniel Leon PSC would like to welcome Daniel Leon as the new Power Systems GM for North America.

 

— Europe —

Dr Luke Livermore PSC welcomes Luke to the PSC UK HVDC team. Luke is an electrical engineer with extensive experience in HVDC interconnector projects through tender to contract stage with expertise in technology capability, costs and program. He has developed technical specifications for interconnector projects, specifically converter station equipment design, system studies, control and protection, spares and maintenance. Luke has undertaken primary studies, main circuit parameters, major equipment specification, transient stress, insulation coordination, AC harmonics, system losses, system black start, reliability and availability, electromagnetic fields, dynamic performance studies, network interaction studies. Luke’s Ph.D. was on the Integration of Offshore Wind Farms using multi-terminal DC networks, the control of these networks and the contribution to the GB AC network. Luke will be based remotely in the UK.

Adam Maloyd PSC welcomes Adam to the team, who joins us from WSP in Newcastle where he was team leader of their Power Systems Studies team. Technically Adam also brings with him extensive experience in performing power systems analysis studies for a range of transmission, distribution and generation clients using PSS/E, DIgSILENT and IPSA. He has been responsible for obtaining connection agreements for generation and electric vehicle sites with Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) in the UK and Europe and completion of several high-level grid capacity assessments for connecting generation and electric vehicles to the UK distribution and transmission network. Adam will be based in the Newcastle office.

Hugo Hui PSC welcomes Hugo into the PSC UK HVDC team,  as an engineer.  Hugo has an engineering background in the consultancy industry. His experience has included working on onshore cable routing, installation designs and cable system designs for voltages from LV to EHV and HVDC. He has taken the lead engineer role on several projects and has a Master’s qualification in Energy & Sustainability with Electrical Power Engineering. Hugo joins us from WSP where he has spent just over 3 years. 

David Wang PSC welcomes David Wang who joins the Europe team as Senior Power System Consultant. David received his Ph.D. degree from Edinburgh University in 2010 based on his research and innovation work in electrical network planning and optimization. Following that, he worked in different power systems/energy companies including Alstom and Scottish and Sothern Energy (SSE) where he accumulated his knowledge and experience in power systems studies and innovative product development. David is a UK Chartered Engineer (CEng). David will be based remotely in the UK.