Enabling Resilient, Compliant, and Optimized Grid Integration
As digital infrastructure expands, data centers face mounting demands for high reliability, uptime, and electrical resilience. Watt Consultants delivers a full suite of power system studies tailored to the unique needs of mission-critical facilities. From feasibility through commissioning, we ensure seamless grid interconnection, robust backup planning, and full compliance with utility and industry standards.
Our interdisciplinary team brings deep expertise across transmission, distribution, and protection engineering to help you design, validate, and operate high-performance electrical systems that support 24/7 operations.
Our Core Capabilities for Data Centers
➲ System Impact Studies
We assess the technical feasibility of interconnecting large data center loads with the electric grid through comprehensive steady-state, short-circuit, and dynamic stability analyses. Using ISO/RTO base cases and site-specific data, we evaluate impacts on voltage profiles, thermal loading, and system reliability—identifying necessary upgrades or mitigations to support reliable integration into the transmission or distribution network.
➲ Backup & Contingency Planning
Our engineers evaluate backup generation, UPS schemes, and contingency scenarios to ensure operational continuity during outages or disturbances. We simulate N-1, N-1-1, and black-start conditions, providing actionable recommendations aligned with utility reliability standards and your uptime SLAs.
➲ Short Circuit Analysis
Using tools like ASPEN Oneliner, ETAP, or CYME, we calculate fault current levels throughout the facility and upstream system to verify the adequacy of breakers, relays, and bus equipment. This analysis ensures compliance with ANSI/IEEE standards and supports the correct specification of interrupting and withstand ratings.
➲ Fault Ride-Through Studies
For facilities with onsite generation—including diesel gensets, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and inverter-based resources (IBRs)—we assess voltage and frequency ride-through performance during grid disturbances. These studies are essential for grid code compliance and participation in demand response or ancillary services.
➲ Reactive Power Optimization & Stability Analysis
We perform reactive power flow and dynamic stability studies to maintain voltage regulation and prevent voltage collapse. For high-power data centers, we analyze the need for capacitor banks, STATCOMs, or other VAR devices to meet grid interconnection standards and optimize power quality.
➲ Arc-Flash Hazard Analysis
WattC performs arc-flash studies in accordance with IEEE 1584 and NFPA 70E to calculate incident energy levels across your facility. We provide PPE requirements, hazard labeling, and recommendations for mitigation strategies like zone-selective interlocking and differential protection.
➲ Harmonic Analysis
High-performance computing and cooling infrastructure can introduce significant harmonic distortion. We conduct frequency-domain and time-domain harmonic studies to assess total harmonic distortion (THD), recommend filtering strategies, and ensure compliance with IEEE 519 limits.
➲ Protection Coordination Studies
We develop and validate protection schemes from utility service entrance to panel-level devices, ensuring selective fault isolation and system resilience. Our coordination studies include time-current curves, relay settings, fuse sizing, and UPS bypass coordination—backed by clear documentation and engineering deliverables.
