Kerim brings more than 25 years of experience, a calm and grounded leadership style, and an eye for innovation — whether it’s navigating policy shifts or solving first-of-a-kind technical challenges.

What drew you into the renewable energy and storage space?

As a physicist, I appreciate the mathematical beauty of engineering. The Maxwell equations, they’re elegant. That’s what drew me in. It might be a bit of a French thing too, you don’t just look for function, you look for beauty.

I’ve always been interested in the stability of large systems, the kind of technical questions that sit right at the edge of physics and engineering. I earned a doctorate in transient stability of large power systems, essentially, how you model and understand what happens to country size grid in the milliseconds after a disturbance.

Over time, I could see that the biggest questions in the energy space were shifting. It wasn’t just about how to make the grid work better, it was about how to make it work differently. Renewables and storage fundamentally change the behaviour of power systems. So I made a deliberate move into this field… and I haven’t looked back.

What do you think sets Australia apart when it comes to delivering renewable energy projects?

Australia sometimes gets underestimated, but we shouldn’t be. Australian engineers are incredibly adaptable, especially those with backgrounds in mining and infrastructure.

That’s maybe the part that gets misunderstood: we have the capability here to deliver complex systems at large scale. We just don’t always communicate about it.

And the other thing? Scale.

In Australia, someone will say ‘we’re going to build a battery the size of an AFL field’ and no one blinks. In Europe, you’d spend ten years doing pilot projects first. Because of Australia’s mining experience, we’re used to building things fast, at massive scale, and just getting on with it and the issues as they emerge.

That kind of delivery mindset is powerful when you’re trying to lead the world in something.

How does ArchTam play into that strength?

At ArchTam, we have one of the strongest transmission and distribution teams in Australia and New Zealand, which is key, because battery storage isn’t just about the asset itself. It’s about how it integrates with the grid.

Not all the consultants have that deep capability. But we do, and we’ve proven it. Our work on Project EnergyConnect, VNI West and Central West Orana, shows the scale and complexity we can handle when integrating major transmission assets to the grid.

What excites you most about the future of energy?

To me, it’s simple, we’re about to rewrite the operating manual for the power grids.

For 200 years, power systems were built around rotating machines. Now, with renewables and storage, we’re entering the age of power electronics. It’s a completely different way of managing power, at a different time scale, and we get to help write the new rules.

It means rethinking everything, how we model systems, how we ensure stability, how we respond in milliseconds to change.

What advice would you give to young engineers entering the field?

First principles. Always.

You’ve got to be able to trace things back to the physics and the maths. You have to remember equations you studied, even if it was 25 years ago.

So learn it properly. And more importantly, remember it. That foundational knowledge will carry you a long way.

And finally, what do you do to recharge outside of work?

Cycling. I love getting out on the bike, but you won’t find any photos of me on Strava. I am old school and I don’t take my phone. It’s just about being in the moment. Same with engineering, sometimes you’ve got to put the distractions down and just focus on the road ahead.

I started riding in Tunisia, and in Grenoble where cycling is a big part of the culture. One of my favourite classic rides is Grenoble to Gap in the Alps, with decent elevation.

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Ryan Butler specializes in power system modelling, studies and grid compliance. He has worked on various large wind generation projects, battery energy storage systems (BESS) installations and various distribution networks from water treatment sites to data centers.

What inspired you to join the industry?

I felt that I could use my university knowledge in electrical engineering to contribute positively towards the energy transition. Climate change and global warming is an issue I am passionate about so having a career in this sector is something very important to me. The current energy sector is full of opportunities for green jobs and development in the area of net-zero and the energy transition. At ArchTam, I am happy to be able to contribute to the growing development of renewable generation through my work as a T&D engineer.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

I worked on Monk Fryston BESS in Leeds, United Kingdom, helping understand the limitations of the grid and the consequential possibility of curtailment of the plant. The original grid connection offer included a flexible period where the installations import and export capabilities could be significantly reduced due to capacity limitations on connected transmission infrastructure. My work helped assess the magnitude of the possible curtailment helping our client go from being pessimistic about the feasibility of the installation to being confident enough to invest and develop this key technology in the decarbonisation of the UK grid.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

My work, primarily in grid compliance studies, helps ensure the proper operation of a grid that is struggling to keep up with the rapid change in generation from synchronous generator-based fossil fuels to largely renewable inverter-based generation. The many technical challenges that come along with this process require careful assessment and design to ensure efficient and reliable operation of the grid while maximising the feasibility and usage of renewable sources. My work helps assess installations, prior to grid connection, to ensure they can connect without breaching any technical requirements. I have worked on a range of key technologies for the energy transition such as wind farms or battery energy storage systems that are now in operation providing clean power across Great Britain.

Share a piece of career advice.

I am a strong believer that, to have a fulfilling career, it is important to do work that contributes meaningfully and positively to the world. I think it’s important to prioritise this highly. I feel privileged to work in an area like engineering, and with a company like ArchTam, where I can steer myself towards the type of projects I feel are making a positive change for our communities and planet.

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Paul Julian has over 10 years of experience in the transmission and distribution of renewable energy. Originally from New Zealand, Paul has worked on projects around the world, focusing on high voltage substations and, more recently, battery energy storage systems (BESS). Paul is currently an associate director in the Transmission and Distribution team, leading Battery Energy Storage team and distribution workstream.

What inspired you to join the industry?

I grew up in Clyde, a small town in the South Island of New Zealand, which has a large hydroelectric dam capable of producing 432 megawatts of electricity. As a child, the dam left me in awe of its size and impact on our society. This sparked an interest in engineering, specifically electrical engineering, which was further fuelled by my interest in physics and mathematics. Fast forward to university, and I was lucky enough to work at that same dam for a summer as a student engineer, coming full circle. I helped with maintenance of the generators, electrical protection equipment, and electrical design work, gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of the industry I was studying to enter.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

My favourite ArchTam project recently is the Monk Fryston BESS Owner’s Engineer project. SSE Renewables engaged ArchTam for the owner’s engineer role for the design and construction period of a 320-megawatt/640-megawatt-hour Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). This includes review of all the key equipment, contractor designs and attendance of all the factory acceptance testing (FATs). I am the technical lead for the project, and it is fulfilling to coordinate and apply my own and the wider ArchTam team’s technical expertise to help our client ensure a safe, reliable and compliant installation.

Challenges have included the fact that the project’s tight timeframes often lead to design review meetings being required at short notice, and multiple different documents, specifications and standards making tracking the compliance of the design difficult for the client. We implemented a comprehensive verification and validation register to ensure that everything could be captured in one location.

The site is currently under construction and scheduled to begin operation in 2025. When commissioned, this will likely be one of, if not the largest, BESS in the UK at the time.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

I am lucky enough that my everyday work directly contributes to sustainability. Grid-scale battery energy storage systems are a relatively new addition to the grid which positively impact both the community and the environment by enhancing the reliability of renewable energy sources like wind and solar. These systems store excess energy produced during peak generation times and release it when demand is high or generation is low, reducing the need for fossil fuel-based power plants. This helps lower greenhouse gas emissions, improves air quality, and supports a cleaner, more resilient energy grid. Additionally, by stabilizing energy prices and preventing outages, these systems benefit communities economically while contributing to long-term sustainability efforts.

Share a piece of career advice.

As an engineer in a consultancy, one of the most valuable skills you can develop is effective communication — both with clients and within internal multidisciplinary teams. Our technical expertise is essential but being able to convey complex ideas in a clear, concise way to everyone is what sets apart successful projects from the rest.

Read Paul’s latest article: Ten things every developer needs to know about battery energy storage systems

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