Pioneers in Transmission and Distribution Excellence

Donald Shoup, P.E., has more than 24 years of experience in the engineering and consulting field. He graduated with a Master of Science in Electrical Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnique Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY. Most recently, he served as Vice President of the Power Systems Engineering Division at Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc. Donald has multiple decades of experience in the engineering and consulting field, having led teams residing over traditional, renewable and clean energy generation for interconnection queues throughout the country, along with determining necessary system upgrades and enabling technologies to future-proof the system and derisk projects. Works have included Electromagnetic Transients (EMT) dynamic performance and insulation coordination consulting and studies, T&D interconnection & planning, load forecasting, compliance, generator plant testing and model validation, integration of FACTS/HVDCS/IBRs/DERs, and project management.

Shariq Siddiqui has more than 16 years of experience in the engineering and consulting field. He graduated with a Master of Science in Power Systems Management from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University. Most recently, Shariq served as the Consulting Director of the Power Systems Engineering Division at Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc. He started his career at ISO-New England, spending almost a decade in various roles, including Market Operations (Day Ahead and Real-Time Markets) and System Planning (Technical Lead for interconnection studies). During this time, he gained in-depth knowledge of electricity markets and the complex power systems interconnection process. Shariq joins RMS Energy with trusted expertise in managing multiple teams of consulting engineers performing Interconnection Studies. His interconnection experience includes Feasibility and System Impact Studies for offshore/onshore wind, battery, solar, and elective transmission projects in the queue. Study scopes include steady state, short-circuit, stability, and PSCAD dynamic performance analysis. Additionally, Shariq has experience leading economic (financial) analyses on behalf of utilities, developers, and ISOs. He has performed congestion curtailment, risk basis analysis, and LMP ‘Location Marginal Price’ forecasting to determine the optimum point of injection for new projects, as well as identifying new transmission projects. His evaluations include energy storage projects as stand-alone or hybrid projects (co-located with PV or Wind). Shariq is highly knowledgeable in ISO New England markets, rules, and generator interconnection procedures, as well as Open Access Transmission Tariffs (OATT) requirements.

Scott Ghiocel brings over 16 years of experience in power systems consulting and research. He graduated with a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnique Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY. Most recently, he served as Global Manager of Power System Studies at Hatch. Scott specializes in modeling, dynamics, and control of power systems. He has led planning studies and Electromagnetic Transients (EMT) analysis for Inverter-Based Resources (IBRs), FACTS, and HVDC, including offshore wind and multi-terminal HVDC systems. He has developed novel algorithms for power system analysis and routinely provides technical guidance on power system simulation and computation methods. Scott has led studies for ISOs, transmission owners, and developers in Eastern and Western Interconnections, as well as ERCOT. He has performed stability and steady state analyses for NERC TPL-001 and CIP-014 compliance and hundreds of system impact studies. He has led transients, subsynchronous oscillations, harmonics, and design studies for IBRs, HVDC, offshore wind, BESS, and microgrids.

Sam Maleki brings more than 14 years of extensive experience in the engineering and consulting sectors. He graduated with a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Western University, London, Ontario, Canada. In his recent role as a Senior Principal Engineer at Electric Power Engineers, he led high-impact teams specializing in interconnections for both traditional and renewable energy projects across North America and globally. His areas of expertise include power system stability, Electromagnetic Transients (EMT), and real-time simulation studies. Sam has played a key role in technical work for developers, OEMs, and utilities, facilitating effective collaboration on complex projects. He has managed power system studies totaling several GWs of load and generation, including dynamic performance analyses and electromagnetic transients studies, such as TOV, TRV, and insulation coordination. He has also performed advanced analysis for HVDC and FACTS conventional and VSC-based devices.

His experience includes transient, voltage and angle stability, and Sub-Synchronous Oscillation (SSO) assessments for both conventional generation and Inverter-Based Resources (IBRs), as well as for hydrogen facilities and hyperscale data centers. In addition to his technical leadership, Sam has developed system study automation tools and software, enhancing efficiency and accuracy in engineering analyses. He is also an active contributor to several working groups/events within NERC, IEEE, CIGRE, and ESIG. Further, he trains future engineers through educational outreach sessions and workshops at various universities.

Reza Salehi brings more than a decade of experience in power system engineering and consulting to RMS Energy. He holds a PhD in Power System Engineering from Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.

Prior to joining RMS Energy, Reza served as the Inverter-Based Resource (IBR) Services Lead at Quanta Technology and a Power System Lead at ARUP. His areas of expertise include wind, solar, and battery integration, interconnection, commissioning, regulatory compliance, and power system readiness for high IBR penetration. Reza specializes in power system stability analysis, Sub-Synchronous Oscillation (SSO) mitigation, Inverter-Based Resource (IBR) integration, and smart inverter applications for which he has conducted several years of research and development. Additionally, Reza has extensive experience in Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing, Electromagnetic Transients (EMT) studies, and microgrid system modeling and analysis. He also has experience in industrial EPC projects as an electrical engineer, where he specialized in electrical system design and engineering.

Rajesh Vaid has more than 20 years experience in electrical power systems engineering. He obtained his Masters from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur and PhD from University of Manitoba in 2018, focusing on VSC-HVDC systems and stability of AC networks.

Before joining RMS Energy, Rajesh worked at Hatch Ltd., as HVDC Interconnection Manager leading a team of studies and detailed engineering professionals. The team focused on grid interconnection of HVDC systems, involving network capacity and injection analysis, development of HVDC converter and equipment specifications. Rajesh has also authored chapters in a feasibility report on a greenfield Eastern HVDC Interconnector focusing on HVDC topologies, Operation and Control modes and HVDC cables. Rajesh also has experience in detail design of wind, solar and BESS projects including steady state analysis – cable ampacity, load flow and reactive compensation, short circuit analysis, arc flash and power quality analysis. He is also experienced in sizing of inter-array, export cables and development of detailed models and in steady state analysis for offshore wind farms, including PSCAD studies for AC submarine cables and power quality analysis. Prior to Hatch, Rajesh has worked with Mott Macdonald where he undertook extensive interconnection and model quality studies in ERCOT, ISO-NE, CAISO and NYISO regions. Rajesh has worked as research engineer at Electranix, modeling VSC-HVDC systems in PSCAD and investigating HVDC grid concepts, he has also worked as a studies engineer at Manitoba Hydro International.

Hasan Bayat has led an advanced engineering team within EPE consulting company focused on system studies, generation interconnection, and model development for power generation resources, including conventional generation and IBRs. He also spearheaded model development for complex loads such as AI data centers, green hydrogen (GH2) generation facilities, and water desalination plants. Hasan has expertise in steady-state studies—covering cable ampacity, short-circuit, protection coordination, reactive power, and harmonics. His dynamic study capabilities include detailed modeling of IBRs, such as BESS, PV, onshore and offshore wind farms. He has conducted and led statewide Injection Studies, Full Interconnection Studies (FIS) package preparation, QSA, pre-commissioning, and as-built model development, tuning, and benchmarking in platforms such as PSCAD, PSSE, PSLF, and TSAT.

During his time with GE Renewable Energy, Hasan managed the Real-Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) lab, conducting numerous Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) tests to assess innovative protection and control algorithms for wildfire prevention, microgrid deployment, and stability assessment. His technical contributions led to two patents for High-speed Falling Conductor Protection (HFCP) for transmission and distribution systems, underscoring his commitment to innovation in the power systems field.