Energy Planner & Analyst (Consultant)
BC Hydro
Portfolio optimization, planning analytics and decision-support tools for the provincial Integrated Resource Plan.
Energy planning · Research · Open models
Building clearer pathways to a low-carbon future.
I’m Elias, an energy systems modeller and doctoral researcher working at the intersection of long-term resource planning, open-source modelling and evidence-based decisions.
Currently
Energy Planner and Analyst (Consultant)
BC Hydro
PhD Researcher
ΔE+ Research Lab · Simon Fraser University
😊 Parenting 2 kids!
12+years of industry experience
7lead open-source contributions
3modelling frameworks
My focus
Turning complex energy questions into transparent models, useful evidence and decisions that endure.
Badges & training
Always learning, always modelling.
Also trained in
Plexos Cloud basicsPyPSAGISGeneration PlanningIntegrated Resource PlanningRenewable Energy Assessment
Curriculum vitae
Experience shaped by systems thinking.
Experience
Energy Connectivity Modelling Consultant
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific · United Nations
PhD Researcher
Simon Fraser University · ΔE+ Research Lab
Combining capacity-expansion and operational power-system models for reliable, cost-effective decarbonization.
Sub-Divisional Engineer, Planning
Bangladesh Power Development Board
Integrated energy and power master planning with JICA and the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan.
Deputy Manager, Technical Services
Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company
Tariff modelling and technical oversight for a 1,320 MW power project.
Assistant Engineer, Planning
Bangladesh Power Development Board
Generation planning, demand forecasting and studies covering more than 4,000 MW of capacity.
Engineering roles
BPDB · Teletalk · HRC Technologies
Power-plant commercial operations, transmission networks and telecom infrastructure.
Education
PhD · Sustainable Energy Engineering Ongoing
Simon Fraser University
MBA · Finance
University of Dhaka
BSc · Electrical, Electronic & Communication Engineering
MIST / BUP
Badges & training
Always learning, always modelling.
Also trained in
Plexos Cloud basicsPyPSAGISGeneration PlanningIntegrated Resource PlanningRenewable Energy Assessment
Open model land
Tools that make planning visible.
Contributions spanning resource assessment, power-system optimization, model linking and electrification.
Lead contributionC2070
Exploring pathways toward a low-carbon energy system.
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Lead contributionRESource
Solar and land-based wind resource assessment.
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Lead contributionBCNexus
Integrated energy–water–land system exploration.
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Lead contributionPyPSA-BC
Open power-system modelling for British Columbia.
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Lead contributionBC Combined
Linking complementary planning models.
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Lead contributionStorage OSeMOSYS
Representing storage technologies in OSeMOSYS.
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Lead contributionFleet Electrification
Evaluating fleet electrification pathways and impacts.
Visit project ↗Research and scholarship
Recent Publications.
Selected work on renewable-energy potential, storage, electrification, resource planning and regional power systems.
M. E. Islam, P. McWhannel, and T. Niet, “Mapping feasible renewable transition space: Land-use, conservation, and grid-access constraints on wind and solar in British Columbia,” Energy 360, vol. 6, p. 100077, Dec. 2026.
DOI 10.1016/j.energ.2026.100077 ↗B. Borba, E. Islam, P. McWhannel, and T. Niet, “Storage in Long-Term Energy Planning Models with Temporal Aggregation: Best Practices and Algorithms,” SSRN, 2025.
View on SSRN ↗K. Kuling, M. E. Islam, P. McWhannel, E. Kjeang, and T. Niet, “Modelling the Grid Impacts of Electric Vehicle Uptake and Charging Strategies in British Columbia,” SSRN, 2025.
DOI 10.2139/ssrn.5592997 ↗B. Borba, M. E. Islam, P. McWhannel, and T. Niet, “Storage in Long-Term Energy Planning Models with Temporal Aggregation: Best Practices and Algorithms,” SSRN, 2025.
DOI 10.2139/ssrn.5584535 ↗N. Arianpoo, M. E. Islam, A. S. Wright, and T. Niet, “Electrification policy impacts on land system in British Columbia, Canada,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition, vol. 5, p. 100080, Jan. 2024.
View publication ↗Md. E. Islam, Md. M. Z. Khan, D. Chattopadhyay, and J. Väyrynen, “Impact of COVID-19 on dispatch and capacity plan: A case study for Bangladesh,” The Electricity Journal, vol. 34, no. 5, p. 106955, Jun. 2021.
DOI 10.1016/j.tej.2021.106955 ↗Md. E. Islam, Md. M. Z. Khan, D. Chattopadhyay, and G. Draugelis, “Economic Benefits of Cross Border Power Trading: A Case Study for Bangladesh,” in 2020 IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting, Montreal, Canada, pp. 1–5.
DOI 10.1109/PESGM41954.2020.9282003 ↗Md. E. Islam, Md. M. Z. Khan, C. Nicolas, and D. Chattopadhyay, “Planning for Direct Load Control and Energy Efficiency: A Case Study for Bangladesh,” in 2019 IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting, Atlanta, USA, pp. 1–5.
DOI 10.1109/PESGM40551.2019.8973505 ↗Notes from the journey
What’s happening Now.
Occasional milestones, conversations and reflections from my work, research and life in energy systems.
Active model development
Currently developing and improving the following models
Journal news · Energy 360 · Open access article
Where can wind and solar realistically be built in British Columbia?
This study maps where new wind and solar projects could realistically go in British Columbia. It removes places that are protected, environmentally sensitive, or unsuitable for development. It also checks whether promising locations are close enough to the electricity grid. The results show how land choices can change the amount of renewable energy available. The maps can help planners compare practical pathways toward a cleaner electricity system.
Read the paper in Energy 360 ↗
SFU Graduate Student Profile
Featured by Simon Fraser University
Modelling a more renewable and adaptable energy future
SFU’s Faculty of Graduate Studies profiled my path from power-utility planning into Sustainable Energy Engineering research. The conversation explores renewable-resource planning, open-source modelling, the value of research collaboration and the people who have supported my graduate journey.
Energy modellingRenewable resourcesOpen source
Read the full SFU profile ↗