Power sector planning

Ricardo has expertise in the business and technical issues involved in connecting renewable and conventional energy technologies into existing energy networks - whether large hydropower schemes, conventional thermal power stations or dispersed generation projects (such as wind farms and biomass-fired plants).

Our key capabilities in power sector planning

We provide world-leading, smart-grid solutions to optimise connections and network performance. It includes:

  • Least-cost generation expansion planning studies
  • Appraising heat and electricity generation projects from conventional fuels (such as coal and oil) and renewable energy sources (such as wind, hydro, solar and biomass)
  • Electricity system planning (generation, transmission and distribution)
  • Master planning/integrated resource planning (IRP) studies.
    Supply/demand forecasting (including consideration of demand-side management)
  • Power system operations support - generation scheduling, automatic generation control, operating reserves, ancillary services, frequency control, under-frequency load shedding, governor control, technical training and smart grids
  • Energy investment analysis
  • Utility asset planning and optimisation
  • Rural electrification - design of funding and tariff mechanisms, and commercial arrangements

We have extensive experience supporting the development of self-healing and smart grid electricity networks. Our team consists of world leading experts with a deep understanding of the technical and economic challenges associated with the development of intelligent networks, both in the context of urban energy systems as a whole and in rural and off-grid settings. 

  • Needs-assessment study on energy efficiency proposals in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) - reviewing, identifying and prioritising energy efficiency measures to be implemented at a regional level to address capacity constraints
  • Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project in Guyana - undertaking market due diligence, operational assessment and financial due diligence for a potential investor
  • Eskom power stations in South Africa - this project involved providing training for Eskom engineers on frequency control, voltage control, governor modelling and automatic voltage regulator (AVR) modelling, followed by testing units and developing governor and AVR models for Eskom coal-fired units
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Power sector planning

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This service is offered within the following sectors.

Discover our case studies

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