Questions with Steve Abbott

A conversation about power plant operations in Jamaica, effective client engagement, and the future of the electric sector.

Steve Abbott didn’t set out to be Trimark’s Vice President of Sales. That came later – after learning that developers often need advice about technology requirements before building electric power resources.

As a Power Engineer, Steve’s approach was shaped by decades of hands-on experience working in and around utility-scale electric power generation plants throughout North America. Steve spent over 18 years at Ameresco and another eight years at other engineering firms. He learned to interpret complex requirements into meaningful specifications and practical explanations. He navigated regulatory hurdles, market operations, client strategy, and industry transformation. Along the way, he earned the trust of developers, asset owners, and market participants.

Mr. Abbott holds a Power Engineering degree from Maine Maritime Academy, an education that laid the foundation for his approach to leadership, systems thinking, and operational excellence. Based in Portland, Maine, Steve is engaged in industry conferences and professional forums, fostering collaboration across the evolving clean energy ecosystem.

The following conversation ranges from the heat of Jamaica to the latest uses for battery energy storage. Along the way, Steve discusses lessons learned, where the energy sector is headed, and significant challenges across the industry.

Scott McKinney: What’s the most unique place you’ve ever been for your job?

Steve Abbott:  Kingston, Jamaica. To overcome brownouts due to insufficient supply, we operated and maintained a 30MW hydrogen-cooled generator built on top of a power barge that was launched in 1942. We connected to Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) from the Kingston Harbor. The barge itself had a honeycomb structure allowing it to stay afloat if it were struck by a torpedo.

The plant had two M type boilers capable of generating 30 megawatts at 60 hertz (ran at 25MW at 50 Hz). The operations were interesting. You could work on the turbine deck, the boilers, maintenance, control room, or in the pump room where it felt like it was 140 degrees. It was an awesome learning experience for my first real engineering job. I got to work with 14 Chief engineers and I was able to pay off all my student loans.

There is always something you can do in parallel while you wait.

Scott McKinney: What’s a valuable lesson from your early career that you still use today?

Steve Abbott: There is always something you can do in parallel while you wait.

The project doesn’t have to stop – even when you’re waiting for critical information. You can set up drawings, gather supporting information, and advance other parts of the project. That way, everything can move forward once the missing input arrives.

That approach keeps the team moving instead of getting stuck and losing momentum. It also gives you an opportunity to think through a design from different angles which can lead to better solutions. By the time the answer comes in you’ve done the groundwork, so you’re in a much stronger position to collaborate and move the project forward.

We use the drawings to set expectations, define scope, gather feedback, clarify responsibilities, and reduce miscommunication.

Scott McKinney: You want your clients to be educated about requirements, options, and trade-offs. How does that actually work?

Steve Abbott   When you start by educating people about what you offer and how it can be integrated into their system, they ask better questions. That often uncovers information you need to meet their expectations. When I was a client, I worked with Mario Marquez (Trimark Metering Manager, 2000 to 2021). He took the time to educate me so I could ask more focused questions on the next project. Why do we need that level of accuracy with revenue grade metering CTs? Why are CTs different for metering than protective relaying? That mindset – going the extra step when discussing an issue with a client – stayed with me.

I love to use system block drawings as part of the education process. They make complex engineering concepts easier to communicate and discuss with clients. We use the drawings to set expectations, define scope, gather feedback, clarify responsibilities, and reduce miscommunication – which produces a better final design. When everyone is looking at the same framework for division of responsibilities it’s easier to align early, make informed decisions, and avoid change orders or delays later in the project.

No one has all the answers: collaboration leads to the best solution.

Scott McKinney: Talk about different prime movers. What are you most excited about?

Steve Abbott: Gas turbines have been an exciting part of my career. That was my entry point to the industry. I worked on a Frame 7 Cogen gas turbine paired with a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) on the back end for a 120 MW power plant. That same summer, I had an opportunity to visit the Philadelphia Eddystone Generation Station. This is a super-critical steam plant designed for 5,000 PSI but operating at around 3,500 PSI.

Another stand-out project involved a two-LM6000 gas turbine Cogen facility with intermediate steam feeding a lithium bromide cooling system. Because this facility was in Florida, ambient temperatures were often 95 degrees. By cooling the inlet air feeding the gas turbines to near 60 F, we were able to significantly improve efficiency under ISO conditions.

Scott McKinney: It sounds like the nuances of optimizing systems get you charged up.

Steve Abbott: The more types of projects you encounter, the more you learn. Gas Turbines, Reciprocating engines, landfill gas to energy, CHP, PV, battery storage and protective relaying all present unique challenges and opportunities to innovate.

But the more you learn, the less you know, right? I’ve learned to appreciate that many of the workers around me really understand their subject matter, which makes it even more fun because they can discuss their craft in more detail.

Growing demand means we need it all

Scott McKinney: Where do you see electric power generation heading over the next few years.

Steve Abbott: Power demand is going to keep increasing – with or without tax incentives for renewable power. Tax breaks make the economics of small resources pencil out. But when you get into the utility scale systems, the resource doesn’t need as much government funding to make it viable. For large resources, the tax break is icing on the cake.

Power resources don’t have to be limited to renewables or exclusively driven by fossil fuel. Growing demand means we need it all – wind, PV, fuel cells, gas turbines, batteries, nuclear, etc. – to support grid resilience and meet the increasing demand.

Scott McKinney: Our industry is trying to solve several issues at once. What’s the most difficult problem our industry faces today?

Steve Abbott: Our transmission infrastructure is overdue for an upgrade. Beyond issues with structural age, there are significant losses from resistance in old lines that are still in service. We need a concentrated effort, perhaps an infrastructure bill, to overcome critical concerns, decrease losses, and increase voltage. That’s what it will take to improve reliability and capacity.

Demand for these skill sets is really high right now. It’s a good time to be a power engineer!

Scott McKinney: You talk to a lot of customers, vendors, influencers, and engineers across the industry. What are you hearing?

Steve Abbott: Industry leaders are concerned about the gap in trained labor required to deliver the number of power generation projects required to meet growing demand.

Orders for Turbines have increased around 100% in the last year. Other types of generations, like reciprocating engines, are in demand too. They’re getting orders for 100 at a whack. Delivering these projects will take a huge, skilled workforce and a lot of trade school education. That’s the challenge!

The problem is that installing new turbines requires skillsets that have been lost in the last generation. Much of the workforce that built power plants 25 years ago have retired or left the industry. That means there’s a shortage of trained and experienced electricians, mill rights, pipe fitters, welders, and specialists in stainless steel. The demand for these skill sets is really high right now. It’s a good time to be a power engineer!

To stay on schedule, companies are paying more for labor. Eventually project profitability won’t pencil out, and projects will be removed from the interconnection queue. Meanwhile, power demand continues to increase.

Scott McKinney: What are some examples of recent innovations in the power sector?

Steve Abbott: Improvements in battery storage allow innovative approaches to business as well as the power system. Utility-scale battery storage creates all kinds of new opportunities to participate in the ancillary services market. Batteries allow resources to capture and store power, then bid it into the market to capture the most revenue. Remember what a big deal the duck curve was a few years ago? Battery storage has really improved that situation.

Scott McKinney: Are you seeing hybrid or co-located batteries coupled with prime movers other than photovoltaic or wind.

Steve Abbott: There are lots of projects in Texas and California that pair batteries with traditional generation. Here’s why. Batteries can remediate ramp rate issues allowing a resource to meet an operating target faster than it would if it were spinning a turbine from a cold start.

Scott McKinney: Final thoughts?

Steve Abbott: We’re going to keep moving forward to meet demand. I expect new, innovative battery technologies to play a big part in that. It might not be lithium ion but it definitely will include greater duration. Who knows what may come from such high fossil fuel prices because necessity is what sparks innovation.

Steve Abbott is Trimark’s Vice President of Sales.

Scott McKinney is Trimark’s Director of Marketing.