Being owned and managed by engineers uniquely positions ControlPoint Technologies to assist its clients in the electric power industry in fulfilling their responsibilities and overcoming complicated challenges. “Achieving these objectives in a manner that meets our clients’ expectations is how we measure our success,” co-owner Jim Kelly says.
Kelly and co-owner Jim Hall founded the Rockland, Mass.-based engineering and design firm in 1999 with the vision of providing innovative solutions to customers through professional engineering services. Kelly served in the U.S. Navy for six years after high school before completing his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Massachusetts. From there, he worked as a control systems engineer at Stone & Webster Engineering Corp. (SWEC) and other firms over a 19-year period. In that time frame, he focused on nuclear, combined-cycle and fossil-fired generating facilities.
Hall received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy before he joined SWEC in 1980 to begin his career in the electric power industry. He worked at several nuclear facilities – both new construction and retrofits – as well as bio-fuel and alternative energy facilities.
Innovative Solutions
ControlPoint Technologies tells its clients to bring on their toughest challenges because it has a knowledgeable and skilled staff to make a project a success, says Frank Silvia, vice president of engineering services. Its engineers and design professionals have advanced skills within the electric power industry.
“ControlPoint Technologies works closely with our clients and adopts client standards and practices in the completion of designs, studies and analysis,” Silvia notes. “Many projects have large field survey/assessment components and we have developed techniques, methods and practices that allow for the completion of these services regardless of the physical, geographical or weather challenges that are always unique to each particular project.”
The company provides various services to the electric power industry and divides those responsibilities into three groups. Director of Operations Jeff Flint oversees the three groups.
The distribution engineering group, led by Tom Kane, supports projects that include underground and overhead electrical system engineering, field surveys, design, construction support and project management. The group is also tasked with performing system upgrades, modifications and new construction.
ControlPoint Technologies’ system planning group, led by Kathy Castro, provides advanced modeling and engineering analysis to large electric utilities and publicly owned municipalities. Some of its services focus on short-term and long-term electric system planning studies, reliability analysis, protection coordination reviews, arc flash studies and distributive generation interconnection studies.
The substation engineering group, led by Michael Kelly, is responsible for engineering and design services for new installations and for modifications to existing stations. “These services support our clients with their power delivery requirements from conceptual and detailed design to installation and commissioning support,” Flint notes.
Power Generation
ControlPoint Technologies serves major electric utilities in New England and the state of New York. One of the major changes in New England has been a shift in power generation to more diverse sources, such as photovoltaic, to reduce the region’s dependence on hydrocarbon fuels. “This presents challenges with interconnections to the electric grid that require detailed analysis and corresponding protection strategies,” Castro notes.
ControlPoint Technologies’ protection strategy includes an initial impact review. The review is followed by a relay and protection assessment, net-metering, load flow analysis, protection coordination, impedance modeling, site feasibility analysis, anti-islanding studies, an interconnection cost estimate and initial design.
Distributed generation interconnections include detailed field assessments and analysis of available SCADA and load flow data. ControlPoint Technologies’ engineers use state-of-the-art modeling software to complete comprehensive system impact studies that detail systemwide worst-case effects. Using the analysis, the company makes recommendations for existing system upgrades needed to accommodate the oncoming distributed generation facility.
Tools the company invests in include state-of-the-art modeling and analysis software and a robust computer network featuring multiple methods of off-site connection capabilities, as well as a comfortable work environment. ControlPoint Technologies also invests in its employees’ salaries, benefits, flex time, bonuses and 401(k) matching because their knowledge-base skills and experience are the company’s most valuable asset.
“We continue to invest in our employees and the tools that they need to complete the assignments that our clients have awarded to us,” Hall notes. “This includes formal industry training, as well as in-house training that is specific to our current project assignments. We will continue to concentrate on our core competencies, develop our staff and add talented people as opportunities arise.”
