Your Trusted Partner for Every Phase of Grid Modernization
We support utilities grid modernization efforts through expert consulting, technology integration, and strategic roadmaps for enhanced efficiency and renewable energy adoption.
The Power of Proactive
Grid Modernization
The electric utility landscape is transforming at an unprecedented pace, driven by the rapid adoption of renewable energy, electric vehicles, and a growing demand for cleaner, more reliable power.
Consumers and businesses alike are expecting more from their energy providers—greater sustainability, improved reliability, and smarter energy solutions. At the same time, utilities are facing mounting regulatory pressures to decarbonize and modernize their infrastructure.
Schedule a time to talk with an expert power consultant.
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Explore How
EnerNexHelps
Proactive grid modernization is the key for utilities to meet these evolving challenges head-on, ensuring they can accommodate growing energy demands while integrating renewable sources and maintaining reliability.
EnerNex, as a trusted partner for utilities, brings unmatched expertise from project inception through to completion, offering strategic guidance, implementation support, and ongoing optimization. With our proven experience and innovative solutions, we are here to help utilities build a resilient, sustainable grid for the future.
Strategic Consulting and Roadmaps: Laying the Foundation
Strategic planning, utility investment review, business case development
At the outset of any grid modernization consulting, EnerNex partners with utilities and energy providers to provide strategic consulting and grid modernization roadmaps. These roadmaps define a clear path forward, aligning technologies and infrastructure investments with the utility’s goals for improving reliability, resilience, and operational efficiency. EnerNex helps clients navigate the complexities of modernizing their grids by combining deep sector knowledge with practical implementation strategies.
Feasibility and Interconnection Studies: Early Technical and Economic Assessments
Power system studies, transmission feasibility, and interconnection analysis
Once the strategy is defined, EnerNex conducts feasibility and interconnection studies to assess the technical and economic viability of grid modernization projects. This includes ensuring that planned upgrades, such as renewable energy integration or new transmission lines, are both feasible and aligned with the client’s long-term goals. By providing these early assessments, EnerNex helps clients make informed decisions that reduce risk and optimize outcomes.
Grid Technology Consulting: Selecting and Specifying Solutions
Vendor due diligence, procurement support, technology readiness evaluations
As a project moves forward, EnerNex assists utilities with grid technology consulting to help define, specify, and evaluate the technologies needed to achieve their modernization goals. This includes recommending Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS), and Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS). EnerNex also provides vendor due diligence and procurement assistance, ensuring that utilities invest in reliable, future-proof solutions.
Renewable Integration and Distributed Energy Resources (DER): Seamless Integration of New Technologies
Renewable energy integration, DER interconnection, and modeling
As modern grids increasingly rely on renewable energy and Distributed Energy Resources (DER), EnerNex provides critical support in integrating these resources. This includes conducting DER interconnection studies, power flow modeling, and renewable energy integration analyses. These services ensure that renewable resources like solar and wind, along with energy storage, are seamlessly integrated into the grid while maintaining reliability and power quality.
Cybersecurity and Communications: Ensuring Secure and Reliable Operations
Cybersecurity assessments, communications system design, NERC CIP compliance
As grid modernization introduces advanced digital and communications technologies, cybersecurity becomes a crucial focus. EnerNex helps utilities implement robust cybersecurity measures and secure communications infrastructures that meet stringent regulatory requirements. This ensures that modernized grids are resilient against both physical and cyber threats, safeguarding critical infrastructure.
Demand Response, DER Management, and Smart Grid: Enhancing Grid Flexibility and Control
DERMS development, demand response program design, smart grid implementation
With grid modernization often including the deployment of smart grid technologies, EnerNex assists clients in implementing Demand Response (DR) programs and Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS). These technologies improve grid flexibility by allowing utilities to optimize energy use, integrate DER, and manage demand more effectively, leading to better grid performance and customer satisfaction.
Microgrids and Resilient Energy Systems: Enhancing Local Resilience
Microgrid design, energy storage integration, resilience planning
For clients seeking enhanced resiliency and the ability to operate independently from the grid during outages, EnerNex designs and implements microgrids. These systems integrate local renewable energy sources and energy storage to provide a reliable power supply even when the main grid is compromised. EnerNex also assists with the optimization of these systems to maximize both economic and operational benefits.
Ongoing Support and Optimization: Ensuring Long-Term Success
Performance monitoring, system optimization, ongoing technical support
EnerNex’s commitment to its clients extends beyond the initial implementation phase. The company provides ongoing support to ensure that the modernized grid continues to operate efficiently and meets its performance goals. This includes monitoring, optimization, and periodic assessments to adapt to changing demands or regulatory environments.
Meet Our Team of Experts
Together, our team leverages their diverse skills and extensive project experience to deliver comprehensive strategies and solutions for meeting grid modernizations goals.
Jeremy Laundergan
Vice President of Consulting Services
Steven Rupp
Director of Consulting Services
Neil Placer
Director of Utility Services Consulting
Aaron Snyder
Director of Grid Technology Consulting
David Bishop
Director of Grid Implementation Services
Jeremy Laundergan
Vice President of Consulting Services
Jeremy Laundergan is Vice President of Consulting Services with EnerNex and is an award-winning Project Management Professional with over 25 years of experience and a master’s degree in Engineering Management.
Jeremy’s recent projects with EnerNex have included “Owner’s Engineer” support for Hawaiian Electric Companies’ Grid Modernization Strategy as well as Portland General Electric’s Advanced Distribution Management System and project management for Hawaiian Electric’s Integrated Grid Planning. All his recent projects include grid modernization planning with goals to reduce carbon emissions and integrate distributed energy resources and associated dependency on enabling telecommunications.
Areas of Expertise
- Grid Modernization Roadmap and Strategy
- Project Management
- Owner’s Engineer
- Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS)
- Demand Response
- Distributed Energy Resources (DER)
865-770-4866
jlaundergan@enernex.com
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Steven Rupp
Director of Consulting Services
Steve Rupp is an executive management consultant with 30 years of experience in project management, strategic planning, organizational transformation, change management, technology planning and implementation, transmission and distribution system planning, and transmission, substation and distribution engineering, design, construction, operations and maintenance.
Mr. Rupp works with utilities of all sizes to develop and implement grid modernization strategies including advanced distribution management, distribution automation, outage management, and advanced metering. His involvement with technology implementation includes strategic planning and road-mapping, business requirements, technical requirements, organizational impact, business cases, procurement, change management and owner’s engineering support during implementations. He also leads project teams to assess and improve organizational performance, assess the impacts of distributed generation on transmission and distribution systems; manage diverse stakeholder groups to reach consensus on issues and strategies affecting the utility industry; and manage the engineering design and construction of electric transmission and distribution system projects. His experience is broad-based and includes assignments with electric utilities, consulting firms, and power system design and construction companies.
Areas of Expertise
- Grid Modernization Roadmap and Strategy
- Technology Planning and Implementation
- Transmission and Distribution System Planning
- Project Management
865-770-4858
srupp@enernex.com
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Neil Placer
Director of Utility Services Consulting
Neil Placer has nearly 25 years of professional experience, with 20 years of specialized industry focus in the electric utility sector. Placer’s comprehensive perspective of the energy industry spans from high-level strategic planning to in-depth technical subject matter expertise. His strategic competencies include roadmap development, enterprise architecture, integrated resource planning, business change management, stakeholder management, customer program management, and product development. His technical expertise includes distributed energy resources (DERs), such as renewable energy, energy storage, and electric vehicles, as well as the operational and information technologies (OT/IT) and associated telemetry required to successfully integrate multiple applications and components into the distribution grid. Placer’s strategic leadership and business acumen, communications capabilities, analytical aptitude, and technical depth enable him to solve complex challenges from high-level and detailed perspectives to meet varying client needs. Prior to joining EnerNex, Placer was involved with setting the strategic direction for the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) renewable energy solutions programs and assisted with multiple Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) efforts as a DER subject matter expert. Prior to TVA, Placer submitted several solar patent applications as a Design Engineer with BP Solar and excelled as a Mechanical Engineering Officer for the U.S. Government.
Areas of Expertise
- Grid Modernization Roadmap and Strategy
- Enterprise Architecture
- Project Management
- Business Change Management
- Distributed Energy Resources (DER)
865-770-4871
nplacer@enernex.com
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Aaron Snyder
Director of Grid Technology Consulting
Dr. Snyder’s technical expertise includes grid modernization architecture, distribution system infrastructure resilience, advanced metering infrastructure, requirements analysis, electricity metering technology and standards (domestic and international), and power system simulations. Aaron has also designed interoperability and performance testing laboratories aimed at assisted utilities with developing and executing electricity metering test plans and procedures, particularly for the case of suspected failures, and including the supervision of utility and vendor personnel performing the tests.
He has specified grid modernization equipment and enterprise applications and systems for utility procurement, and then evaluating that same equipment and systems against those specifications as part of advanced metering infrastructure, field area network, meter data management system, and advanced distribution system application procurement activities.
Aaron has supported US federal standards and interoperability efforts for fourteen years, including examining standards and technologies for metering, advanced metering infrastructure, and electric vehicles. He participates in standards development at the national and international levels for metering and utility application information exchange.
He is a member of the GridWise Architecture Council and a Senior Member of IEEE.
Areas of Expertise
- Grid Modernization Roadmap and Strategy
- Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
- Advanced Distribution System Management System (ADMS)
- Electricity Metering
865-770-4849
aaron@enernex.com
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David Bishop
Director of Grid Implementation Services
David Bishop is the Grid Modernization Consulting Director for EnerNex. As a senior IT executive, he brings extensive experience in managing domestic and international technology projects, emphasizing software/application development, systems engineering, IT architecture, and infrastructure. With 27 years of experience in the information technology industry, he has held various roles in technology management, consulting, systems architecture, and project leadership across multiple companies and industries. He leads transformational efforts in data, DevOps, SRE, GenAI, and cloud migration across various sectors.
Areas of Expertise
- Grid Modernization and Technology Integration
- Enterprise and Systems Architecture
- Agile and DevOps Transformation
- Cloud Migration and Data Modernization
865-770-4873
dbishop@enernex.com
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