Indpreet Kaur is a senior electrical engineer with more than 14 years of international experience, largely covering Canada and India. She has delivered electrical across a variety of building types as well as roadway lighting.
Her expertise lies in the design and coordination of electrical power distribution, lighting, low voltage power and communication and schematics across a variety of sectors.
Here, Indpreet reflects on her engineering inspiration (her dad, also an electrical engineer) and the role electrical engineers play in keeping the world moving. She takes a deep dive on preservation of culture as she talks about one of her favourite projects, the Arts and Crafts Hotel in Vancouver.
What inspired you to become an engineer?
I think my dad was a big inspiration for me to become an engineer. He is an electrical engineer at a thermal power plant and with him teaching me how generator turbines work in the power plant. I also learned during my field trips to power plants how electricity is generated, transmitted and then distributed. At that point, I decided I wanted to work as an electrical engineer.
Why electrical engineering?
The world would come to a standstill if there was no power. Electrical engineers prevent this by keeping the equipment running and the lights on. Electrical engineers operate in a plethora of different industries and the abilities needed for each are also diverse. These span from circuit theory to project management abilities.
What’s your career highlight project?
The best project I am working on is a hotel project where I am developing a comprehensive electrical system design for a heritage building. This project is a currently gutted 7 storey commercial office building and is being repurposed into a circa 70 key hotel. The proposed renovation to the Vancouver property will preserve and restore the building’s ‘Edwardian era’ commercial design, as envisioned by original Architects Thomas Hopper and Richard T. Perry.
Old buildings preserve our culture by paying tribute to the people and events that built our communities. In addition, their conservation saves tons of debris from landfill making the reuse of an existing building the ultimate form of recycling. Heritage conservation ensures that our irreplaceable historic buildings will be enjoyed by future generations, and planning for future generations is what sustainability is all about.
The electrical scope includes transformer space planning, load calculations and coordination with BC Hydro for the development’s power supply needs. Core shell layout preparation for ASHRAE 90.1-compliant restaurant lighting and power. The scope of electrical work also includes power distribution, fire alarms, communication systems and coordination with other disciplines.
Tell us about the electrical engineering on this project.
The 42,000 f² Arts & Crafts Hotel project is made up of basement, first floor (restaurant, entrance, 2 elevators, loading zone, kitchen), second floor (common space, 3 hotel rooms) and floors 3 through 7 are typical hotel rooms and a rooftop deck.
The height of the ceilings at the basement and second level, as well as the coordination with mechanical and plumbing ducts, provided significant challenges throughout the project’s design phase. Maintaining neat and clean walls and ceilings was another challenge. To overcome this, a cable management raceway system offering various design options to route and organise the cables that can fit each specific wiring requirement will be employed to route the cables (for power, fire and data).
This heritage building is completely electric, using heat pumps to distribute heating and cooling to the hotel rooms via individual fan coil units. All domestic hot water is generated by heat pumps. Given the completely renewable grid in British Columbia, we are ensuring that the client has a minimal carbon footprint that will comply with 2050 regulated energy targets.
What innovative new approaches are you seeing when it comes to electrical engineering?
New developments in electrical engineering are exciting. Wearable technology and electric vehicles are two recent developments. Artificial intelligence (AI) provides an opportunity to significantly simplify the work of electrical engineers.
Where do you see the future of electrical engineering heading?
Decarbonisation will have an impact on future demand and push current infrastructure to the limits. Over the next two decades, it is anticipated that demand for electrification of vehicles such as cars, buses, lorries and trains will increase by an average of 20% annually. It is also anticipated that the influence of electric vehicles on the grid will be felt most strongly starting in 2030 and these projections could be increased much further by significant industry initiatives, changes in consumer preferences and new government regulations. Also, solar energy has the potential to significantly influence the future of power on a larger scale. This can significantly reduce carbon footprint and combat the adverse effects of climate change.
In its scenarios, the regulator is clear that the electricity industry is essential to achieving net zero. To ensure that all future power generation has zero, low or even negative emissions, the federal government will soon implement the Clean Power Regulations. Canada’s energy future focuses on the challenge of achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This will entail substituting existing technology with electricity-powered ones, such as heat pumps and electric cars. Increased reliance on electricity also boosts energy efficiency nationally, resulting in a reduction in energy consumption of up to 22% by 2050. For lowering difficult-to-reduce emissions, new technologies and fuels like bioenergy and hydrogen also play crucial roles.
What legacy do you want to leave, when it comes to your career?
Having strong relationships with clients and competent staff members are the two key components of an engineering consulting firm. So, with that in mind, my ultimate professional goal is to leave a legacy of having taught our employees how to deliver superior customer service. Long term success would be preserved through both mentoring and knowledge transfer to younger staff.
