As the Manager of the Power Systems Engineering division at ZGlobal, Sam specializes in overseeing and conducting intricate interconnection studies, power flow analysis, and local capacity assessments within the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), with a concentrated emphasis on California.
Sam’s contributions span diverse projects for ZGlobal and other clients, with a focus on processes and procedures to interconnect to the California grid. Sam’s expertise resides in conducting comprehensive power flow analyses, steady-state evaluations, and dynamic stability assessments. Sam creates power flow and stability data models to align with the stringent requisites of entities like CAISO, ERCOT, SPP, and other utilities. In addition, Sam has played a pivotal role in local capacity studies to assess deficiencies targeting multiple regions across California.
In the realm of technical requisites, Sam provides crucial power load flow input files in the form of *.epc files, modeling the proposed facility. Leveraging generator parameters and other dynamic data, Sam also creates dynamic transient stability models in the form of *.dyd files. These files undergo rigorous testing against WECC’s recent power flow base cases, ensuring their ability to sustain stability during contingency simulations. These simulations validate the facility’s resilience in the event of faults occurring at or near the point of interconnection (POI), including subsequent outages of major connected lines while preserving the plant’s online status.
Sam’s responsibilities extend to offering Generation Interconnection Queue Analysis from the relevant generator interconnection queues within local utilities. This analysis serves as the launch pad for initial screening studies that detect potential generator interconnection points and their available capacities. This high-level screening exercise provides an expedited overview of a potential project and acts as a precursor to a full interconnection request that looks at a full feasibility study, system impact study, and facilities study.
Sam holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Lebanese International University in Beirut and a Master of Science degree from Sacramento State University in the same field. Sam is a registered Professional Electrical Engineer in the state of California – E24608.
Recent Accomplishments:
- Completion of WECC Path Rating studies and analyses culminating in securing approval to elevate Path 42’s rating from 750 MW to 1,115 MW.
- Instrumental support in interconnecting over 14,300 MW of projects spanning 11 western states within WECC, as well as ERCOT, PJM & MISO.
- Proficiently executing long and short-term deterministic and stochastic Locational Marginal Price forecasts for more than 23 utility and distributed renewable energy projects, aggregating 2,560 MW across the Western Interconnection and ERCOT. These forecasts play a pivotal role in supporting project finance strategies for our clients.