What We Offer
Services
Every engagement begins with the same principle: confirm power delivery before capital is committed. Then we build the full energy stack around it.
Service 01
Power Feasibility & Site Screening
Before you sign a land option or commission architectural drawings, you need to know whether the grid can actually deliver power to your site — at what cost and on what timeline. Most mid-market developers find out too late.
We assess transmission infrastructure, substation headroom, and interconnection queue load for your target geography. You get a clear go/no-go with an honest path to energization before any capital is committed.
- Transmission capacity and substation headroom report
- Interconnection queue position analysis (CAISO, SPP, MISO, PJM)
- Multi-site scoring matrix — power, fiber, zoning, land, risk
- Preliminary cost-of-delivery estimate for top 2–3 sites
- Executive-ready investment summary
Engagement Details
Service 02
Substation Strategy & Design
Data center substation design is not the same as utility or industrial substations. The N+1 redundancy requirements, transformer inrush coordination, and protection complexity demand engineers who've done this before at scale.
We design substations from 34.5 kV distribution-level interconnects up to 230 kV transmission feeds — right-sized for your load, approvable by your utility, and scalable for Phase 2.
- Configuration analysis — ring bus, breaker-and-a-half, radial
- Transformer sizing and specification (GSU, distribution, autotransformers)
- Stamped single-line diagrams and equipment layouts
- Protection and coordination studies (IEEE std)
- Utility interface drawing package for interconnection approval
Configuration Options
Service 03
Utility Interconnection Management
Getting into the interconnection queue is step one. Navigating it to energization — without losing your position, your timeline, or your mind — is the hard part. Utilities have their own priorities, and mid-market loads don't always get white-glove treatment.
We've worked directly with CAISO, NV Energy, APS, and Rocky Mountain Power. We know the application requirements, the unstated preferences, and how to keep your project moving.
- Pre-application scoping and utility relationship assessment
- Queue reservation and application filing
- Feasibility study and system impact study review
- LGIA scope negotiation and cost allocation review
- Milestone tracking through energization
Typical Timeline
Service 04
Battery Energy Storage (BESS)
Battery storage for data centers has moved well beyond backup power. Grid-scale BESS integrated into your energy architecture delivers demand charge reduction, grid arbitrage revenue, resiliency during utility curtailment, and the ability to defer costly transmission upgrades.
For mid-market operators in constrained markets, BESS can be the difference between a viable interconnection cost and a project-killing network upgrade requirement.
- BESS sizing and chemistry selection (LFP, NMC) for data center load profiles
- DC-coupled and AC-coupled integration with on-site generation
- Demand charge reduction and peak shaving strategy
- Grid arbitrage and frequency response revenue modeling
- Protection, safety, and NEC 706 compliance design
- Interconnection strategy — BESS as a tool to reduce utility upgrade requirements
BESS Applications
Service 05
On-Site Generation
Data centers that rely entirely on utility power face a single point of failure at the grid connection — and in today's constrained interconnection environment, that failure point is increasingly exposed. On-site generation reduces grid dependency, protects against utility curtailment, and can significantly improve your project's economics in high-power-cost markets.
We design generation systems that function as true baseload power — not just emergency backup — integrated with BESS and utility supply for optimized dispatch and maximum uptime.
- Natural gas reciprocating engines (1–20 MW per unit, scalable)
- Gas turbine and combined heat and power (CHP) configurations
- Hydrogen-ready and fuel cell integration for low-emission targets
- Microgrid controls and islanding capability
- Air permit strategy and emissions compliance (CARB, EPA)
- Interconnection of generation with utility and BESS
Generation Options
Service 06
Owner's Engineering
Developers and investors need an independent technical voice — someone whose job is to protect the owner's interests through design, procurement, and construction, not to minimize scope or deliver the lowest bid. Owner's engineering is that function.
GridSpan acts as your technical advocate from feasibility through energization — reviewing contractor submittals, validating design decisions, managing RFIs, and ensuring the project that gets built matches the project that was specified.
- Independent design review and technical due diligence
- Equipment procurement support — specification, vendor selection, bid evaluation
- Contractor submittal review and RFI management
- Construction observation and quality assurance
- Commissioning oversight and energization support
- Lender's engineer reporting for project finance transactions
Typical Scope
Service 07
Transmission Line Support
Some sites require new transmission line construction to reach available substation capacity. This is often the most technically complex and schedule-critical element of a data center development — one where errors in routing, right-of-way strategy, or construction oversight can add years and tens of millions to project cost.
GridSpan provides engineering support for developer-funded transmission line projects — from initial routing studies through construction completion — ensuring new infrastructure meets utility interconnection requirements and doesn't become a project liability.
- Transmission line routing studies and alternatives analysis
- Right-of-way (ROW) identification and coordination support
- Structural and electrical design oversight for new transmission infrastructure
- Utility coordination — construction standards compliance and approval management
- Environmental and permitting support for transmission corridors
- Construction management and quality oversight through energization
When This Applies
Service 08
Electrical Infrastructure Design
The electrical infrastructure decisions you make in Phase 1 determine how expensive Phase 2 will be. We design medium voltage distribution, grounding systems, and power delivery architecture that anticipates your full buildout — without overbuilding for capacity you won't need for five years.
- Medium voltage distribution design (13.8–34.5 kV)
- Grounding and bonding per NEC and IEEE 80
- Generator, UPS, and BESS integration design
- Arc flash hazard analysis (NFPA 70E)
- Stamped drawings for AHJ submission
- Phase 2 / Phase 3 scalability roadmap
Standards We Work To