Education:
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering │ University of Missouri – Columbia

Experience:

Jess initially interned for TOTH performing load flow analyses and modeling power distribution systems. After a 7-year hiatus working on GPS electronics at Garmin, he has since returned to TOTH and aids in various electric system studies, including Load Flow Studies, Sectionalizing Studies, New Load Requests, Renewable Impact Studies, Construction Work Plans, and Long Range Plans. Jess now manages an engineering team in Portland, OR, consisting of Distribution and Transmission Planning Engineers and serves as a single-point contact and client manager for Northwest utilities.

Jess aids public utilities in planning for load growth and grid expansion in the near-term with Construction Work Plans, specializing in getting RUS-approved projects across the finish line. He has utilized Windmil, CYME, and Synergi to perform load flow studies at the distribution level and PowerWorld and ASPEN PowerFlow to perform load flow studies on the transmission system. He also takes transmission projects identified by transmission planning and analyzes potential routes, accounting for engineering, societal, and environmental concerns, as a starting point for easement acquisition and permitting.

Jess manages a generation interconnection queue with over 2,000 MW of proposed renewable development, ushering projects through the process. He also manages ten smaller interconnection queues for any distribution generator interconnections. Jess has been integral in establishing processes and procedures for utilities to manage Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and implemented new study processes to ensure no adverse effects to the existing distribution system. He also performs System Impact Studies for new solar or landfill gas generators for interconnection onto the distribution system, ranging from 25 kW to 8 MW. He has helped utilities on-board their first rooftop solar customers, address intentional islanding of a battery-aided load, and represented multiple utilities with Public Service Commission dockets revolving around DERs. He has acted as Owner’s Engineer for a utility lease-to-own solar facility, reviewing 3rd party drawings, preparing long lead time equipment bid documents, managing the generation tie design & ROW acquisition, and interfacing between utility, solar designer, and contractor to shepherd the project along to its timely completion.

 

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