Shaping the Future of Smart Energy Systems: An Interview with a Leader in Software Development

Smart energy systems are a fundamental part of transforming power infrastructure in an era where understanding the technologies behind them is important. Batteries and inverters are not new concepts, but their integration into more sophisticated smart grid frameworks represents a major advance. Gaurav Shah, a seasoned expert in embedded software development with over 12 years of experience is driving the change. Shah is the Director of Software Development at EG4 Electronics LLC, where he is responsible for software strategy, talent acquisition, engineering process, architectural design and engineering standards. Shah specializes in Distributed Energy Resources (DER), specifically focusing on software development, grid compliance and the smooth integration of energy storage. His work is focused on the development of next generation Battery Management Systems (BMS), gateways and digital frameworks that enable residential energy systems to communicate with the grid and engage in the Virtual Power Plant (VPP) market. His work underscores how software is the engine that turns traditional storage into smart networked systems intended to meet today’s energy needs. Throughout his career, Shah has worked throughout the entire software development cycle from concept and design to architecture, implementation, testing and product integration. Shah is famous for succeeding under pressure and being able to lead worldwide teams across time zones, all while overcoming engineering challenges and hitting aggressive project timelines.

Defining a Software Strategy for Power Electronics

How do you go about building a software strategy for power electronics? What kind of factors influence your decision making?

Starting a software strategy begins with understanding the market trends and finding out the most critical needs. It entails studying what is pushing demand for power electronics like greater efficiency, smaller size, renewable energy integration, and compatibility with Industry 4.0 standards. Another strategic edge we gain is gained from studying competitor products and finding gaps we can fill. I assess my team’s capabilities from within: they are experts in embedded systems, control algorithms, and power electronics programming. We need to spot skill gaps early because if we don’t we’ll have to train or recruit for them. Technology selection also plays a key part. Finally, we evaluate a range of software tools including MATLAB/Simulink, PSIM, and NI LabVIEW to see if they match up with our hardware, workflow, and long term goals. Licensing costs, the learning curve and scalability are equally important factors. After these are clear, I map out a phased development plan. From core algorithm development for power converters to building reusable code libraries and user friendly simulation interfaces, this roadmap has it all. We also integrate software with testing platforms for rapid prototyping. Our work communicates with the software, hardware and marketing teams so that our work aligns with broader product goals. This requires a well defined project scope. As such, we concentrate on essential characteristics that might still be expanded in the future. In addition, we provide the proper resources for development, testing and support stages by maintaining our budget and personnel requirements. We consider security and reliability to be paramount and follow open standards, as power electronics applications are often mission critical. Our systems are modular and scalable, allowing us to respond to changes of product requirements.

How to Build The Right Team for Success

How do you recruit software developers and what qualities are you looking for?

Building a high performing software team is all about recruitment. I start by using my network. The best candidates come from employee referrals, as the current team knows both the culture of the company and what technical skills it needs. Giving incentives for successful referrals makes people want to participate. I also contact people already connected to me on LinkedIn and any professional associations I have participated in to plant a seed for intros to people who can help with my network specifically around power electronics and embedded systems. For engineering roles, we use targeted online sourcing through niche job boards and I very specifically write job descriptions that focus on our unique requirements. Platforms such as GitHub also prove useful by allowing us to see how candidates have contributed to open source projects—oftentimes an excellent indicator both of skill as well as passion. It’s critical. On the company website, we highlight our most exciting projects, and on platforms like LinkedIn, we promote our culture. We participate in conferences, meetups, and hackathons and that allows us to connect directly with the candidates and show off our expertise in the industry. During the candidate evaluation process I am interested in a solid computer science background, C/C++ for embedded and a good grasp of control algorithms such as PI controller or Sliding Mode Control. Importantly, understanding simulation tools and power converter topologies is also useful. I value a strong ability to problem solve, adaptability, and passion for continuous learning, but also teamwork and effective communication.

A Presentation on Designing Robust Software Architecture

What do you think about software architecture in power electronics, and what makes an architecture good?

We follow a layered software architecture. Then the Power Converter Layer exists at the base, controlling IGBTs or MOSFETs directly using algorithms like PWM. The hardware interacts with this layer which manages energy flow. Above that is the Control & Monitoring Layer, which controls algorithms, monitors real time data from sensors and performs safety checks. The first or User Interface and Communication Layer has tools for monitoring, configuration and interfacing to external systems such as SCADA. Each layer is designed modularly, with well defined modules that have well defined interfaces. It is modular because we can change components or algorithms without affecting the rest of the system. It also reduces the maintenance as well as the architecture is easily adaptable to different converter topologies and control strategies. For control loops, real time performance is imperative. To achieve this, we use interrupt driven programming and efficient algorithms to deal with time sensitive tasks in the power layer. I recently led the effort to create a software system that ties low level device drivers to cloud based monitoring tools in a project. First, we mapped the communication channels between physical components and software modules. We then built interfaces to allow smooth communication between all the layers, including a hardware abstraction layer for real world control. By using this structured approach, we were able to avoid costly development issues and the product ended up being scalable and modular.

Innovation and Challenges Management

What processes and culture do you use to foster innovation and to manage setbacks?

Building psychological safety is the first step to creating a culture of innovation. I make sure that people on my team feel ok to propose ideas, and take risks, and learn from failures. I also make sure that we have an open communication and I listen to ideas when we’re brainstorming. I organize workshops and seminars on emerging technologies like AI based control systems to inspire new thinking. To broaden our perspectives we attend conferences and hackathons. In addition, I also organize internal training sessions where team members nominate topics for discussion and share their knowledge to their peers. To manage setbacks, you need structure and you need freedom. For our projects, I use SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). By breaking down goals into smaller milestones we ensure that we stay on track. If we have some setbacks, I try to figure out what caused it, and then work with the team to figure out how to fix it. It’s essential to be transparent with stakeholders and to adjust plans, when needed. We’ll also look at how to use A/B testing to measure success and drive continuous improvement within the data architecture.

How do you measure project performance and how does that drive continuous improvement?

Timely delivery and budget adherence is the beginning of project success. We track how projects adhere to the deadline and if the costs remain within the budgeted amount. We also measure defect rates to see how well coding and testing practices are doing. We track code coverage to ensure we have good code coverage and we measure our mean time to repair (MTTR) to determine how well we are able to resolve defects quickly. System performance is made stable by monitoring software reliability, for example, the frequency of crashes. Sprint velocity and team morale (from surveys) are metrics that measure team performance. A good work environment is usually characterized by low employee turnover rates. On the business side, we get customer feedback and ROI measurements to understand the broader impact of what we do. These metrics drive continuous improvement for us. As a result of regular retrospective meetings we have at hands, we review performance, determine gaps and fine tune our processes. We bring together quantitative data and qualitative insights to make sure our projects create lasting value. Gaurav Shah shows how thoughtful strategy, innovative thinking and teamwork can come together to shape the future of smart energy systems. He has a long history of moving from embedded software engineer to Director of Software Development at EG4 Electronics LLC, all to help advance the renewable energy sector. Looking at Shah’s insights as his team continues to strive towards excellence, they are a helpful roadmap for aspiring leaders in the field.