February 2024 - Prism Engineering

Video | Lessons from Scandinavia on Transportation Electrification

Scandinavia is renowned for its advanced economic and social development, top-notch education system, and strong social security network. The region also stands out for its innovative approaches to combating climate change.

Robert Greenwald, P.Eng. and President of Prism Engineering, recently visited Denmark, Sweden, and Norway to witness firsthand how these countries have achieved impressive success in transitioning to a low-carbon future while maintaining high living standards for their people.

“I was deeply inspired by the remarkable initiatives they have undertaken to combat climate change, particularly their focus on transportation,” says Robert.

“In Copenhagen, I was impressed by how the biking culture and revitalized waterways transformed the city’s landscape. Stockholm’s extensive subway network enhanced the passengers’ experience by transforming the stations into captivating art exhibits. And in Norway, I witnessed firsthand the country’s leadership in electric vehicle (EV) adoption.”

Electric tram and art exhibit in subway station in Stockholm; bikers in Copenhagen.

Today, transportation is responsible for 16% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which makes it one of the world’s largest source of emissions pollution¹. These emissions come from burning fossil fuels, such as diesel and gasoline, in internal combustion engine vehicles used in cars, trucks, buses, ships, and planes.

To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, organizations must accelerate their transition to zero-emission electric or alternative fuel transportation.

“An organization’s fleet can make up a large proportion of its total GHG emissions,” says Julianne Pickrell-Barr, Climate Action Specialist at Prism Engineering.

“That’s why we need to take electrification seriously. Transportation is an area of operations that can be decarbonized fairly quickly in many cases due to the relatively short replacement cycles of vehicles compared with other assets like buildings or process equipment,” she adds.

Learn more about our Transportation Decarbonization Planning services

Electric ferries in Norway

During his trip to Scandinavia, Robert noted the use of electric passenger ferries in Norway’s fjords as an exciting example of how these countries are embracing electrification.

“These ferries have been operating for over 5 years. They can carry up to 400 passengers with a maximum range of 2.5 hours, travelling 16 knots for 40 nautical miles before requiring a recharge. It was a smooth and quiet ride, and passengers were not exposed to the diesel exhaust fumes that are common in vessels of this size, with much less impact on the local environment,” he explains.

Robert was so inspired by what he saw while navigating through the fjords that he asked for a tour of the ferry’s operating system. We are excited to share a few highlights and learnings from that amazing experience.

Naeroyfjord in Norway, electric ferry, and boat charging station.

Join Robert on a tour of an electric ferry in action:

Watch an overview of sustainability initiatives in Scandinavia:

¹“Sector by sector: where do global greenhouse gas emissions come from?”, Our World in Data, accessed February 20, 2024.

‘Electric’ Casey | Celebrating 30 Years at Prism

Last month, Prism Engineering celebrated Casey Gaetz’s 30th anniversary with the company. Family, friends, and colleagues gathered to thank him for his hard work and commitment over the years. The event was a lot of fun, with a hilarious tribute video by the Electrical team, a delicious meal featuring some of his favourites (Greek food and Black Forest cake) and lots of laughter.

We sat down with Casey, our Electrical Team leader, to learn more about the influences that led him to build a career in electrical design, his early years at Prism, and his contributions to the expansion of the Prism electrical services portfolio. We also talked about how much he has valued working with his team over the years to respond to evolving industry demands.

Left to right: Black Forest cake and a tribute to Casey during a company meeting.

Early interest in electrical design

Born and raised in Ontario, Casey became interested in electrical design at a young age, as his father worked as an electrical inspector for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) during World War II and as a building engineer for Sears. “I grew up surrounded by the electrical equipment he used for work,” he remembers.

Casey moved West after more than 15 years of experience at one of the largest engineering firms in Toronto at that time, having worked on several big projects, such as the Toronto Eaton Centre, TD Centre, CNE Buildings, Metro Toronto Zoo, and the Toronto Sky Dome, among many others. He had also worked as a sales and engineering manager at a lighting manufacturing company.

“But after all this time, I was getting a little itchy. I wanted to see what else the world had to offer”, he admits. As he began looking for new opportunities, a colleague introduced him to Brian O’Donnell, P.Eng., who had founded Prism Engineering three years earlier. “I was told Brian was looking for an electrical-type person to join his firm. The interview was probably the most casual anyone could image. We had dinner together, and he convinced me to come to Vancouver to test the job for a week”, he reminisces.

The rest is history. Casey left Ontario with his wife and three children on Boxing Day in 1993 under temperatures below 30°C and drove for several days across the USA until they finally reached the West Coast. “As we drove down the mountains, we saw green everywhere. It was like we were heading to paradise,” he remembers.

A young Casey in Ontario, before moving to B.C.

Expanding the electrical portfolio

“It was a small office on the second floor above a restaurant in Burnaby Heights,” recalls Casey about his first days working at Prism Engineering. “It was a bit rough; we didn’t even have air conditioning in the summer, and all the computers were not even connected to a server,” he jokes.

The cramped structure of the office didn’t make him regret it. “Since the beginning, Prism sounded very professional,” he notes. “That first week I spent here convinced me this was real business, with big clients such as Canadian Airlines (Air Canada) and the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). I knew we had potential, and that energy savings was an exciting and growing field to explore,” he adds.

As he took on the role, Casey began by expanding Prism’s services in electrical design and lighting system upgrades, in the wake of new technologies emerging in the industry. From there, Casey and his growing team continued to look for opportunities for their clients. In partnership with BC Hydro, for example, they developed building Electrical Distribution System Optimization (EDSO) standards to optimize electrical systems and reduce clients’ energy consumption. This is now part of BC Hydro’s systems
standards for substations.

Recently, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses to shut down operations (and buildings) for several months, Casey and his team approached building managers to conduct assessments of their electrical distribution systems, including emergency systems, lighting and fire alarms.

Casey in Prism’s first office in Burnaby Heights.

Key projects

Looking back, Casey is proud of how the Electrical Team has helped clients achieve substantial results in energy savings and carbon reduction. This has been possible through the development of a holistic suite of electrical services from design to implementation.

In lighting, the team has earned industry recognition by undertaking award-winning projects for the Richmond Olympic Oval, the Vancouver Convention Centre and NAV Canada’s Surrey Area Control Centre, among others.

Left to right: Richmond Olympic Oval, the Vancouver Convention Centre and NAV Canada’s Surrey Area Control Centre.

Other projects are remembered for their uniqueness, such as the Solar PV system for the University of Fraser Valley (UFV), which demonstrated Prism’s expertise in the new and growing area of photovoltaics. Or, for example, many upgrades to electrical distribution and emergency generator projects throughout BC.

To keep the team focused, Casey likes to remind them of the role of consultants. “We are consulting engineers. It’s no surprise that the word ‘consultant’ comes before ‘engineer,’” he likes to say. “We must work with the client to assess their needs and budget, and determine and present the good, better, and best solution so they can make a logical decision and move forward,” he explains.

Looking ahead

As the industry becomes increasingly focused on carbon reduction via options such as fuel-switching, Casey and his team are focused on what this means for Prism’s clients. One outcome he sees is a greater demand for services starting with Facility Condition Assessments (FCA), which also includes Electrical Systems Assessments. Existing buildings need to be assessed for their capacity to meet these changes and evaluated for their ability to undergo necessary system upgrades.

In addition to FCA, Casey has structured the team around two other key service areas to meet future industry demands: EV Charging and Solar PV. These add to the solid expertise Prism has developed in Lighting Audits and Design, Lighting Controls, and Electrical Distribution and Emergency Generators.

Although each team member has specific knowledge in certain areas, Casey likes to create opportunities for everyone on the team to stay up to date with all services so they can provide support when needed. He encourages his team to stay ahead of the game and seek out new learning opportunities.

“We need to look beyond today by understanding what the industry is currently doing and how those changes will impact our work tomorrow,” he says.

Casey himself is always on the lookout for new learning experiences. Recently, he went on an expedition cruise to Antarctica with other industry professionals to see firsthand the impacts of climate change on wildlife and the local environment. The impact of this experience has inspired him to continue asking “what can I do next?” to help clients with the challenges ahead.

Casey talking with clients during Prism’s 25th anniversary celebration.

Related Services
Electrical Services

Changing Systems for a Better World: Key Trends in 2024

The new year is often a time for reflection. We sat down with Prism’s President and Team Leaders to chat about what organizations should consider in 2024 and beyond.

With many organizations setting carbon reduction goals for 2030, 2040, and 2050, time is of the essence.

“Achieving significant reductions takes know-how, funding and time,” says Robert Greenwald, P.Eng., President of Prism Engineering.

“In 2024, it will be imperative for organizations that want to achieve their 2030 objectives to move forward with the next steps for decarbonization, no matter what phase they are in: planning, funding, or design. The time to change systems for a better world is now,” he adds.

Here are a few key industry trends that will help your organization move its sustainability and decarbonization efforts forward:

System Drivers Point to Climate Action

The Sustainability and Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) landscape has rapidly evolved over the last decade. From a global to local level, organizations and government bodies are creating strategies and plans and setting targets to achieve a low-carbon and resilient future.

Over the last few years, we have seen the consolidation of ESG reporting standards and regulatory frameworks that send a clear signal to organizations and business. What was once done at an organization’s discretion is now becoming an expectation.

“Globally, we’re watching the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) commit to standardizing climate-related disclosures for investors, the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation (IFRS) launch climate and sustainability disclosure accounting standards and the European Union adopt the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), which requires ESG reporting for EU companies starting in January 2024. These long-awaited developments will drive the whole market. We’re watching the industry formalize itself. A unified set of reporting standards gives us a common language to work from. It will help organizations develop sustainability and decarbonization strategies, as well as understand and benchmark progress.” says Sarah Smith, M.Urb., Principal and Sustainability Team Leader.

“Locally, the City of Vancouver implemented carbon pollution limits and reporting for existing large commercial and multi-family buildings. There are now regulatory requirements for these buildings and the first reporting deadline is in June,” she adds.

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change continues to call for greater action to avoid the most harmful impacts of climate change, these are all welcome steps in the right direction.

“As we enter 2024, there are various drivers in the system signalling to organizations that they need to do something around climate change – from market trends to client expectations. We’re seeing momentum,” Sarah explains.

At Prism, we offer a comprehensive suite of services to help our clients understand and respond to the global and local sustainability and ESG landscape. From assessments to strategy to implementation to reporting, we can help your organization understand its current context, create a sustainability vision for the future, and develop a plan to get there.

Electrical Planning Reports

BC has ambitious plans to increase the number of EV charging stations across the province in the coming years. To meet the growing demand for electric vehicles, the BC Government, in partnership with BC Hydro, FortisBC, and NRCan, is providing incentives for the purchase and installation of EV chargers for homes and workplaces.

The Province has also introduced measures to encourage strata corporations to install EV charging stations. Under the new regulations, strata corporations must obtain electrical planning reports to show they have the necessary capacity for future upgrades, including charging stations. The deadlines for compliance may vary depending on the area and the number of strata units.

An electrical system assessment and planning report can support capital planning by providing recommendations for equipment replacement. In addition to EV chargers, these reports can provide recommendations for equipment efficiency changes, utility upgrade requirements, future HVAC system updates, as well as carbon reduction strategies.

“These assessments and reports make so much sense because installing EV chargers is not as simple as many would like to think,” says Casey Gaetz, Principal and Electrical Team Leader. “Building systems’ needs are evolving. We can’t start plugging things in and hoping for the best, nor can we replace like-for-like systems without a proper assessment. We must consider future growth needs, as well as carbon reduction targets.”

Electrical Planning Reports are an effective step to ensure the reliability, safety, and efficiency of a building’s electrical systems. They can help building owners, managers, and operators identify end-of-life equipment and plan for its replacement before it fails.

Voltage Conversion

As BC Hydro begins to upgrade portions of the power grid in the Lower Mainland (from 4 kilovolts (kV) or 12.47kV to 25kV), building owners and managers will need to consider this change when replacing or upgrading the main electrical service to larger buildings. They will also need to consider purchasing new equipment that is rated for both their buildings’ existing voltage requirement, as well as 25kV.

“A Facility Condition Assessment (FCA) is the best way to identify capital planning needs, such as building upgrades and new equipment requirements,” says Casey. This assessment reviews building system performance and provides a plan to either renew, repair or replace equipment.

“An FCA is also useful to anticipate certain situations. Facility owners and managers, for example, may realize they don’t have enough space for the new equipment, or how to deal with power outages while the new equipment is installed. We can help them with planning and how to make these decisions,” he adds.

Energy Studies

Iram Green, P.Eng., Principal and Energy Team Leader, believes recommissioning, energy, and energy feasibility studies are important for organizations wanting to achieve higher levels of energy efficiency and meet their carbon reduction targets.

Last year, BC Hydro expanded its program offering for large commercial customers. This offering includes Integrated Energy Audits and feasibility studies, incentives, as well as strategic energy management (SEM) programs.

“Energy and energy feasibility studies are two of the most effective ways to identify energy and cost saving opportunities, develop a decarbonization plan, assess what can be done to upgrade the systems and move forward with implementation based on a solid plan,” he explains.

One fun way to kickstart an energy study or a feasibility study is by conducting a “Treasure Hunt”. This activity encourages employees to “hunt” for energy conservation opportunities during a virtual or on-site walk through of processes and systems. This activity helps to develop a trusting relationship between the organization’s operations team and the consultant, sparks conversations about ideas to address existing issues and fosters a culture of continuous improvement towards energy management.

Considering Impacts Across Systems

Facility owners and managers need to be aware that any changes made in a building can have far-reaching impacts on various systems. This is especially true for mechanical systems, which tend to use the most energy in a building.

“Projects today are far broader than they were in the past, and their implementation phases have become more complex,” says Stephen Kooiman, P.Eng. and M.A.Sc., Principal and Mechanical Team Leader.

“In the past, we used to upgrade and optimize specific systems to achieve 20-30% energy savings. Today, with the current need for clean electricity usage to aggressively reduce emissions by 70-80%, we end up having to take into consideration many more elements to integrate to make this happen,” he explains.

This is especially true for Deep Carbon Retrofit projects, which require a cross-disciplinary approach involving the traditional electrical, energy and mechanical engineers, along with architectural and structural expertise. These projects can be extremely effective in reducing GHG emissions because it takes a wholistic approach to minimize energy consumption and maximize low carbon heating options.

Steps Towards a Low Carbon and Resilient Future

These key trends paint an exciting picture. From the consolidation of global ESG reporting standards to preparing our local buildings and fleets for low carbon electrification opportunities, efforts to mitigate and address the impacts of climate change are gaining momentum. Industries and organizations are moving from planning to implementation. At all levels of government, from global to local, and across industries and communities, we are progressing towards a low-carbon and resilient future.

Prism is committed to helping organizations achieve their energy, climate, and asset renewal objectives by integrating engineering, energy management, and sustainability services.

Want to discuss how our services can support your organization?

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