Senior Solar Technician - Soutpan Solar Plant

Senior Solar Technician - Soutpan Solar Plant

Application Deadline: 20 June 2024

Department: Operations & Maintenance

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: South Africa

Description

For more than 20 years, Globeleq has been a long-term investor, developer, owner and operator of diversified power projects in Africa, where the company is one of the largest Independent Power Producers., With nearly 1500MW of generation capacity in operation across 14 power plants in 6 countries, 760MW in construction or near operation and >2,000MW in development, Globeleq is one of the largest independent power producers solely focused in Africa. Globeleq is 70% owned by British International Investment and 30% by Norfund, the development finance institutions of the UK and Norway, and has a proven track record for supporting the ongoing development of the African power sector.


Globeleq’s various generation technologies include gas, wind, solar PV, battery energy storage (BESS), and, geothermal. The company is also actively pursuing new opportunities which are emerging from the energy transition, including desalination projects powered by renewables, as well as green hydrogen and ammonia projects. The Senior Solar Technician is responsible for all preventative and corrective maintenance on the solar plant while making sure all HSE procedures are followed. The Technician must ensure maximum availability and performance ratio of the solar plant and draft technical reports on all events. Root cause analysis, identifying and implementing plant optimisation projects under guidance by the Site Manager and Engineering Manager.

Key Responsibilities

1. Plan, prepare for, manage and execute activities pertaining to Preventative Maintenance on the solar plant assuring all HSE procedures are followed, activities include but are not limited to:

• Substation maintenance as per annual maintenance schedule
• E-House/Inverter Station maintenance as per annual maintenance schedule
• General Junction Box (CJB) String Combiner Box (SCB) maintenance as per annual maintenance schedule
• Array Junction Box (AJB) maintenance as per annual maintenance schedule
• Reverse Osmoses (RO) plant (Water filter system) maintenance as per maintenance schedule
• Infrared Red scans of panels, AJBs, GJBs/SCBs, transformers and inverters
• Inspections as scheduled on substation, E-House, GJBs/SCBs, AJBs and RO plant
• Inspect, test, diagnose and maintain CCTV system
• Inspect, test, diagnose and maintain tracker system

2. Plan, prepare for, manage and execute activities and execute pertaining to Corrective Maintenance on the solar plant assuring all HSE procedures are followed, 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 equipment
• Diagnose, repair and/or replace switchgear and control gear in PV systems

3. Apply root cause analysis techniques on all major and reoccurring faults
4. Investigate technical failures and prepare formal technical report
5. Generate Work Order (WO) requests for onsite intervention in CMMS/ERP system
6. Enforce HSE compliance with contractors
7. Work with Power Engineer on Plant optimisation (reliability and future CAPEX projects)
8. Perform standby duties
9. Train/mentor interns
10. Interact with Eskom Control as required
11. Prepare Requests for Quotes as needed
12. Record keeping and management of spare part movements
13. Report significant events to Site Manager and Power Engineer

14. Any other duties, as assigned by the Site Manager, in line with the role

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Skills and Competencies

• Able to troubleshoot and analyse data including following various types of process charts, schematics and single line diagrams
• Have a good understanding and perception of integrated system and how to apply effect fault finding techniques in such a system
• Very good written and oral communication skills
• Well-organized and responsive in all communications including clear, concise e-mails; adept at writing technical reports and policies
• Good team player; able to balance team and individual responsibilities
• Able to communicate effectively, orally and in writing
• Able to manage stress and high-pressure situation
• Able to handle multiple projects, prioritize work and work effectively under limited supervision

Experience, Knowledge and Qualifications

• Minimum National Diploma in Electrical Engineering or a N6 Certificate (or NQF equivalent) with electrical subjects is required
• Minimum 5 years’ utility experience in power plant or industry experience
• Experience in switching LV, MV and HV systems up to 132kV is required
• Experience with lock-out tag-out procedures
• Working knowledge of power system protection
• SCADA: able to analyse data, investigate and report on trends
• SCADA systems: knowledge of/experience in SCADA, Automation and process control systems
• General ERP/CMMS experience
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages including Outlook, PowerPoint, Word and Excel
• Code B driver’s license is required
• Red Seal qualification preferred
• Able to read and interpret single line diagrams and schematics
• Demonstrated experience in the maintenance of LV and 22kV cable, DC cable systems including fault location and diagnostics is an advantage
• Working knowledge of PV plants is an advantage
• Cable jointing qualifications and experience is an advantage
• PLC troubleshooting and maintenance is an added advantage