Photovoltaic (PV) Technician II

About the Company

Since its establishment in 2008, Mulilo has grown into one of the leading Independent Power Producers (IPP) in Southern Africa. Mulilo is majority owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, the world’s leading private equity investor in renewable energy assets, through its New Markets Fund I. Mulilo has concluded numerous PPA's in both the Department of Mineral Energy's Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP) and with several large corporate energy users. Mulilo currently operates 450MW of wind and solar PV projects and has a further 500MW of projects under financial close. Having adopted a strategy that aligns with the company's long-term vision, Mulilo has accumulated a pipeline of projects exceeding 25GW, and is now positioned as a key player in the renewable energy sector. 

Mulilo places strong emphasis on its human capital and prides itself in providing a world class working environment for all its employees, thereby placing huge value on career progression and personal growth. 

Mulilo is guided by strong ethical principles and adheres to its environmental, social and governance responsibilities.  

 
About Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) 

Founded in 2012, CIP is the world’s largest dedicated renewable energy fund manager and a global leader in offshore wind. CIP currently manages over 30 billion Euro’s, with a target of having 100 billion Euros under management by 2030. The funds managed by CIP focus on investments in offshore and onshore wind, solar PV, biomass and energy-from-waste, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity, storage, advanced bioenergy, and Power-to-X. 

About this role

Location: Prieska

The PV Technician II role is responsible for all preventative and corrective maintenance on the solar plant while following all HSE procedures. The Technician must ensure maximum availability and performance ratio of the solar plant. He/she must perform root cause analyses, identifying and implementing plant optimisation projects under guidance of the Site Manager.

Duties and responsibilities 

• Plan, prepare for, manage and execute activities pertaining to Preventative Maintenance on the solar plant. Activities include, but are not limited to:
  
  
  
  • Substation maintenance as per OEM maintenance schedule
  
  
  • Inverter station maintenance as per OEM maintenance schedule
  
  
  • General Junction Box (GJB) and/or String Combiner Box (SCB) and/or Array Junction Box (AJB) maintenance as per plant maintenance plan
  
  
  • Inspections as scheduled on substation, inverter, GJBs and/or SCBs and/or AJBs
  
  
  • Infrared scans of panels, AJBs, GJBs/SCBs, transformers and inverters as per plant maintenance plan
  
  
  • Inspect, test, diagnose and maintain CCTV system
  
  
  • Inspect, test, diagnose and maintain tracker system (if applicable to plant)
  
  
  
  

• Plan, prepare for, manage and execute activities and execute pertaining to Corrective Maintenance on the solar plant. Activities include but are not limited to:
  
  
  
  • Respond to all alarms triggered on the solar plant
  
  
  • Resolve all trips on the solar plant as soon as possible
  
  
  • Attend to all breakdowns, do fault finding/root cause analysis and resolve, fix or replace faulty equipment with minimal energy loss
  
  
  • Diagnose and replace PV panels
  
  
  • Diagnose, test, repair and/or replace cables, cable inter-connections, PV junction/string boxes, connectors and fuses in PV systems
  
  
  • Diagnose, test, repair and/or replace transformers
  
  
  • Diagnose, test repair and/or replace HV yard or connection centre equipment (as applicable to plant)
  
  
  • Assist in the diagnose, repair and/or replacement switchgear and control gear in PV systems
  
  
  
  

• In conjunction with the Technical O&M Manager, apply root cause analysis techniques on all major and reoccurring faults


• Investigate technical failures and give feedback to the Site Manager


• Supervise and enforce contractors’ compliance with HSE


• Maintain the permit-to-work system and perform risk assessments


• If appointed to perform high voltage operations as per ORHVS, to interact with Eskom Control


• Record-keeping and management of spare part movements


• Report significant events to Site Manager, Plant Manager and HSSE Manager


• Complete Job card upon troubleshooting and or repairs


• Any other duties, as assigned by the Site Manager or Plant Manager, in line with the role.

Required skills and education background.

• Minimum of an N3 (or NQF equivalent) with electrical subjects is required


• Red Seal qualification required


• Minimum 5 years’ utility experience in power plant or industry experience, with at least two years’ relevant PV plant experience


• Experience in switching LV, MV and HV systems is required (Operator & Controller duties)


• Have basic working knowledge of cable management


• Experience with lock-out tag-out procedures


• Working knowledge of power system protection


• Working knowledge of SCADA monitoring


• Able to read and interpret single line diagrams and schematics


• Able to troubleshoot and analyse data including following various types of process charts, schematics and single line diagrams.


• Have a good understanding of integrated system and how to apply effective fault-finding techniques in such a system.


• Good verbal communication skills, in English. Ability to converse in Afrikaans is an advantage


• Good written communication skills in English, including clear, concise emails and able to complete standardised technical reports e.g. risk assessment reports.


• Good team player; able to balance team and individual responsibilities.


• Good self-management ability including being able to prioritise work tasks and work effectively under limited supervision.

Desirable attributes

The ideal candidate would have a passion for the Renewable Energy sector and personality traits would include a high level of diligence, determination, resilience, and agility.

Additional Information 

Able to work overtime according to operational needs.

The position is based at the solar plant site of the company, but local travel will be required occasionally.