Key Accomplishments

• Launched PowerNex Associates Inc. with colleagues from the former Ontario Hydro.  PowerNex Associates Inc. provides services to the electric utility sector including, Technology information scanning and acquisition, decision support studies and analysis, technical services, new technology development and training. 
• Dr. Ford has recently taught power systems analysis to fourth year engineering students at the University of Toronto.
• Managed the Electric Power Systems Department, Operations Division, Ontario Power Technologies, Ontario Power Generation Inc., which included a team of engineers, scientists and support personnel in a fee for service technology services practice. As part of the external business, Dr. Ford has managed and contributed technically to numerous multiclient and international projects.
• He has carried out research and technology development on a wide range of topics related to electrical power systems, equipment, maintenance and operations including: investigation of aging mechanisms in solid and gaseous insulating systems, partial discharge and fault location techniques for underground cables, the development of probabilistic short-circuit analysis and applications to the design of substation bus systems, the development of nonlinear optimization methods for substation bus design, high-voltage test techniques for gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), fault and partial discharge location in gas-insulated cables, transient ground potential rise in GIS , oil leak location in underground cables, the application of heat pipes to remove hot spots in underground cable systems, measurement and analysis of thermal performance of underground cables in corrective backfills, methods for modeling moisture  and weather effects on underground cable ampacity, methods for calculating the current transmission in bus systems, gas-insulated apparatus and underground cables, and the analysis of forced cooling methods for underground cables.

Professional Achievements

2000-Present
Principal, PowerNex Associates Inc.

Launched PowerNex Associates Inc. PowerNex Associates Inc. provides services to the electric utility sector including, technology information scanning and acquisition, decision support studies and analysis, technical services, new technology development and training.  In this latter capacity Dr. Ford, taught power systems analysis to fourth year engineering students at the University of Toronto.

1997-2000
Manager, Electric Power Systems, Operations Division, Ontario Power Technologies, Ontario Power Generation Inc.

• Managed a group of about 36 engineers, scientists and support personnel in a fee for service technology services practice.   This work involves technical work, supervision, coordination, in the area of substations and transmission technologies.
• As part of the external business, Dr. Ford has prepared and managed numerous multiclient and international projects.  He has successfully managed contracts with the New York Power Authority, EPRI, CEA, Consolidated Edison of New York, ESEERCO, BPA, TVA, Pennsylvania Power & Light, Southern California Edison, Pacific & Electric, Israel Electric Corporation, CEPEL, BICC, National Power PLC and the National Grid Company.
• Recent direct service experience related to regulatory issues includes OHSC (now Hydro One), Consolidated Edison of New York, Edmonton Power and Toronto Hydro.

1993-1997
Manager Grid Program, Technical Programs Division, Ontario Hydro Technologies, Ontario Hydro.

• Managed a program of technology services, technology development, and research related to all aspects of power transmission equipment and systems. This work involved interfacing with Ontario Hydro and external clients to develop programs and funding, program and project supervision and follow-up to ensure client satisfaction and repeat business.

1980-1993
Section Head, Stations and Underground, Electrical Research Department, Ontario Hydro

• Supervised a group of about 20 engineers, scientists and technologists in carrying out funded research related to substations and underground cable equipment and technology and electric utility problems associated with such apparatus.
• Supervised the first externally funded research programs in Ontario Hydro.

1968-1980

Employed by Ontario Hydro in 1968 on the Training Program and after rotations in System Planning and Research, joined the Research Division. In the Research Division, he carried out research and technology development on a wide range of topics related to electrical power systems, equipment, maintenance and operations including: partial discharge and fault location techniques for underground cables, the development of probabilistic short-circuit analysis and applications to the design of substation bus systems, the development of nonlinear optimization methods for substation bus design, high-voltage test techniques for gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), fault and partial discharge location in gas-insulated cables, transient ground potential rise in GIS , oil leak location in underground cables, the application of heat pipes to remove hot spots in underground cable systems, measurement and analysis of thermal performance of underground cables in corrective backfills, methods for modeling moisture and weather effects on underground cable ampacity, methods for calculating the current distribution in bus systems, gas-insulated apparatus and underground cables, and the analysis of forced cooling methods for underground cables. Recent activities centre on the development of a real-time expert system for diagnosing malfunctions in large turbine generators and research on the aging mechanisms in solid insulating materials used in cables, transformers, GIS and high-voltage switchgear. As well Dr. Ford has managed or contributed to several product commercialization efforts. Several of these products were developed under external funding, including the Partial Discharge Analyzer (PDA), the Thermal Property Analyzer (TPA), the Cable Ampacity Program (CAP) software, the Generator Expert Monitoring System (GEMS), and most recently the Stator Slot Coupler/Turbine Generator Analyzer (SSC/TGA) system.;

Education

Born and educated in Canada, he obtained Bachelor's, Master's and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Queen's University, the University of Toronto, and Waterloo University respectively.

Dr. Ford has published extensively (>40 publications) in his areas of expertise and has been active in IEEE, a CIGRE Task Force on Advanced Substation Analysis and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.