Independent engineering studies
for earthing, lightning, overvoltage and EMC
Advanced numerical simulations & physics-based work that helps asset owners, operators, developers, EPCs and technical reviewers make safer, clearer and more cost-effective decisions about their electrical infrastructure and assets.
- A LPS, earthing/ETS, surge, or EMC protection system needs engineering
- Protection is over- or under-designed — costly or unreliable either way
- An existing design needs independent review
- A new project needs early risk assessment
- An approval requires defensible technical justification
- A failure needs root-cause investigation
- Site conditions or disagreeing vendors make the right answer unclear
When clients bring us in
Typical project situations and decision questions.
Compliant on paper. Exposed on site.
Recurring issues we see in electrical infrastructure engineering.
- Conflict of interest Product-biased solutions are often not the most cost-effective fit for the site.
- Compliance is not performance Formal checks do not always reflect real site-specific electrical behaviour.
- Fragmented protection design Grounding, lightning, surge and EMC are often not validated as one system.
- Residual risk and blind spots Transient GPR, touch voltage, SPD loading and interference assessed too late.
- Independent & vendor-neutral No products to push, no installs to win — only the right answer for the site. Design is engineered, not sold.
- Compliant and cost-optimised Compliance alone doesn't guarantee optimal construction & maintenance cost. Good design does both.
- Site-specific & verified We model your actual soil structure, geometry and transient behaviour based on measurements — and use verified simulation models.
- Connected-systems view We engineer grounding, lightning, surge and EMC as one coupled system, as well as their interaction with other surrounding infrastructure.
- Residual risk management Standards repeatedly leave blind spots. Transient GPR, touch voltage, SPD stress or interference can remain. We quantify and reduce it.
Engineering principles
IONLINX combines extensive field experience, advanced numerical simulation and data science to engineer reliable protection systems for realistic site conditions.
Engineering Services
Through our unbiased engineering we are fully aligned with your interests. We always offer a customized project package based on our core service areas. Engineering is always scoped to your project phase and decision needs.
- Risk analyses Lightning risk analysis; early-stage and pre-project risk assessment; whether an asset needs detailed protection engineering at all.
- Verifications & optimisations Independent verification of existing or planned concepts; simulation-based optimisation of LPS, grounding, surge and EMC measures; insulation coordination.
- Designs & specifications Complete LPS design (air termination, down-conductor routing, separation distance, LPZ), earthing/ETS design, and vendor-neutral SPD specification by required stress and coordination.
- EMC & advanced studies Transient overvoltages, current distribution, GPR, step/touch voltages, pipeline/cable interference, SPD energy stress, electromagnetic coupling; infrastructure EMC.
- Software prototypes Where useful, results become lightweight calculators, dashboards or decision-support tools your team can reuse.
- Technical engineering report Structured report with input data, assumptions, modelling approach, results, standards assessment, conclusions, and recommendations.
- Decision-ready visualisations Potential maps, current distributions, step/touch voltage plots, SPD stress results, interference profiles, and before/after comparisons.
- Technical follow-up & clarification Professional support during delivery, including explanation of results, response to technical questions, and assistance with next project steps.
- Project-specific digital tools On request, study results can be transformed into lightweight calculators, dashboards, MVP apps, or internal decision-support tools.
- Research or publication support Subject to client approval, selected project results can be developed into white papers, conference papers, or joint technical publications in co-authorship with IONLINX.
What you receive
Every engagement is documented for efficient technical review by asset owners, EPCs, insurers, lenders, authorities and independent engineers.
Selected projects and publications
Offshore Wind — Earthing & LPS
The turbine OEM's standard earthing concept had not been checked against the site's actual high-resistivity soil, leaving the client unable to sign off construction with confidence.
3D transient simulation of the earth termination and surge protection system using site-measured soil resistivity, benchmarked against IEC 61400-24 and IEC 62305.
Impact [X]% reduction in earthing material versus the OEM default design, with step and touch voltages verified within limits.
Utility-Scale PV — Grounding Grid
A disagreement between EPC and owner over grounding grid density left the project without a technically defensible design ahead of a financing deadline.
Ground potential rise and touch-voltage mapping across the full plant layout, comparing three grid density options against IEEE 80 / EN 50522.
Impact [X] weeks saved versus a full re-design cycle, by identifying the one non-compliant zone instead of rebuilding the whole grid.
Cross-Country Pipeline — AC Interference
A new HV transmission corridor was routed alongside an existing pipeline, raising concerns about coating stress and personnel safety at accessible points.
Inductive and conductive interference simulation along the shared corridor, identifying worst-case fault and steady-state scenarios per EN 50443 / DVGW GW 22.
Impact [X] mitigation points identified and specified, avoiding coating failure risk without rerouting either asset.
Publication — ICLP
Standard lightning risk methods leave a gap in how transient ground potential rise is treated for large-area renewable energy sites.
Peer-reviewed research quantifying transient GPR behaviour for large-area earthing grids, presented at the International Conference on Lightning Protection.
Impact [Venue / year] findings now inform how we screen renewable energy sites for transient risk before detailed design.
People & expertise
Independent engineering judgment, backed by scientific capability and real project experience.
Ivan Grobbelaar
Co-Founder & Principal Engineer
Ivan develops practical lightning and surge protection solutions, with particular experience in photovoltaic and energy infrastructure. His work focuses on turning complex technical requirements into clear, vendor-neutral designs and specifications.
Dr.-Ing. Eduard Shulzhenko
Co-Founder & Principal Engineer
Eduard leads advanced engineering studies involving lightning, grounding, overvoltage and electromagnetic compatibility. He uses numerical simulation and physics-based analysis to identify hidden risks and develop technically defensible, site-specific solutions.
Industries & Applications
Same Physics - Different Constraints. The physical principles for earthing, lightning, overvoltage & EMC are the same across different applications. Our methods are applicable for all types of electrical infrastructure.
- Energy assets wind farms & turbines, PV plants, battery & EV-charging infrastructure
- Infrastructure substations, grid infrastructure, pipelines & linear infrastructure (transmission lines, underground cables, geothermal piping), rail systems
- Building complexes data centres, industrial facilities, airports, telecom towers, other high-risk electrical assets
Initial discussion
Clarify the site, available data, technical question, project phase, and required decision.
Scope and proposal
Define methodology, assumptions, deliverables, timeline, and fee in a written proposal.
Engineering study
Perform the agreed simulations, calculations, standards assessment, and technical evaluation.
Results and decision support
Deliver the results, explain the conclusions, answer technical questions, and support the next engineering steps.
Engagement
Contact
Tell us about the asset and the question — we'll come back with how we'd approach it.
Prefer email directly? info@ionlinx.com
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