Rafael Pagan, PE
Director of Project Development
An extraordinary endeavor is underway to transform Puerto Rico’s electric grid following a series of historic natural disasters. These events have wreaked havoc on the island's infrastructure, further emphasizing the need for increased reliability, resiliency, distributed resources, and advanced technological solutions.
With a mission unchanged since 1898 — make our clients successful — our professionals are ready to partner on the toughest challenges efficiently and safely. As an employee-owned firm, we bring an ownership mentality that emphasizes creative problem-solving to complete virtually any project or challenge — whether known or unforeseen — in a timely, integrated, and efficient manner.
Transforming the grid into a more robust, reliable, and resilient electric system across Puerto Rico will take time. Burns & McDonnell is committed and ready to expand our collaboration with local partners to deliver industry leading solutions for a modernized grid that is strong, smart, and sustainable.
Project Profile
Burns & McDonnell
When our client received regulatory approval to proceed with a massive transmission and distribution grid upgrade, it was a classic “good news/bad news” situation. Funding for the $1.4 billion program had been approved, but internal resources to perform the work were insufficient.
White Paper
Burns & McDonnell
Electrical distribution grids are under increasing stress today as new demands emerge. From the need to accommodate distributed renewable energy sources and new smart technologies to the greater frequency of extreme weather events, grid modernization programs utilize undergrounding assets to improve resilience and reliability.
The electric power industry is rapidly transforming as it responds to growth in distributed generation, the deployment of electric vehicle charging stations, increased reliability and resiliency requirements, and more. These developments are driving large-scale investments in power distribution systems.
The transition to electric vehicles is rapidly accelerating.
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Webinar
Burns & McDonnell
Flow batteries and other technologies, both new and old, are competing for space in a rapidly dynamic storage market, while lithium-ion technology is advancing and prices are dropping. Which applications are suited to which technologies? And at what cost might longer-duration technologies compete? We discuss the market drivers, technology status and economics of flow batteries and other long-duration storage technologies.
Webinar
Current substation engineering and design processes are undergoing a fundamental transformation.
Webinar
Burns & McDonnell
With more wind and solar coming onto the grid, storage is the holy grail in energy. One of the prime movers in this energy transformation is the rapid advancement in battery storage technologies. In this webinar we explored the various technologies and potential applications.
Webinar
Burns & McDonnell
Our April webinar on energy storage generated so many great questions and such excellent feedback that Chris Ruckman and Jason Barmann are back with more. This new session will examine operations and maintenance for energy storage, use cases and case studies for utility-scale implementation, and recycling considerations. We’ll also discuss NFPA 855: Standard for the Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems.
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Blog
Burns & McDonnell
Extreme weather is a fact of life in Puerto Rico. Hardening electrical infrastructure effectively depends on designing for the right loading criteria.
White Paper
Burns & McDonnell
Hurricanes and flooding can cause extended power outages and lead to major financial losses. Upgrading equipment and constructing robust infrastructure can help in delivering continuous service to customers, saving millions of dollars otherwise lost during flooding events.
Service Feature
Burns & McDonnell
Across the transmission and distribution industry, identifying the right solution is often dependent on schedule and load/generation constraints needed to meet demand. Modular substations can provide an alternative to permanent and mobile substations to meet your unique needs.
Project Profile
Burns & McDonnell
The City of Denton, Texas, announced plans to increase renewable energy use to 100 percent by 2020. But before adding more solar and wind power to its energy portfolio, it would first need a way to produce power when renewable sources were unavailable. And it would need it quickly.
Blog
Burns & McDonnell
Grading design is integral to solar projects. Time and costs can be saved with minimal land disturbance at the chosen construction site.
Blog
Burns & McDonnell
To support black start capabilities, operators should take into account the key benefits and considerations when implementing a battery energy storage system.
White Paper
Burns & McDonnell
There are limited studies on the long-term performance and degradation of utility-scale photovoltaic power plants. Explore a comprehensive summary using a refreshed literature survey and systematic data analysis of power plants in operation for over five years.
Webinar
Burns & McDonnell
The increasing penetration of renewables has impacted every part of the U.S. There are some regional differences in how renewables have influenced power markets, but one commonality is the opportunity this has created for fast-acting resources that can respond. Most of the discussion for the development of new fast-acting resources has been around adding battery storage. While there are several reasons it makes sense to consider batteries for this need, historically low gas prices have also made it plausible to consider gas turbines and RICE engines to fill this gap. This webinar will take a conceptual look at pairing solar with gas to evaluate the feasibility and potential benefits this solution could offer to various power markets.
White Paper
Burns & McDonnell
With PV module costs dropping, decarbonization efforts increasing and the solar ITC extended, interest in solar is high. A changing marketplace, however, is complicating the development of new utility-scale solar farms. Now, more than ever, contractor knowledge and experience in the current landscape are critical for successful completion.
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Director of Project Development
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