Engineer - Power Plant Performance - (Chandler, AZ)

About NovaSource

NovaSource Power Services is the service partner for renewables asset owners ready to fuel smart growth. As an O&M-focused company with 20 years of operating experience, NovaSource has the global reach and strategic capabilities to achieve our clients renewables goals around the world.

To serve our clients, we invest in our people. On hire, we assess each employee s experience and expertise, then mentor them to grow engaging and satisfying careers.

Our turn-key services optimize each step of our clients project lifecycles from commissioning to decommissioning and everything in between. Our approach delivers creates success for our clients, stability for our teams, and enables us to build a world-class culture of excellence. And that s how we empower a renewable world.

Summary of Role

At a high level, the Performance Engineer is managing the portfolios of solar PV generating fleets. This is an internal stakeholder and external customer facing role. Key responsibilities will center around maintaining operating indicators at high levels, alerting service managers of trending issues, providing research and analytical support for diagnosing field problems, creating and executing on plant betterment action plans, and developing advanced computational methods. Also, as a core member of the O&M team, the Performance Engineer may be involved in complex contract negotiations as the representative subject matter expert.

The Performance Engineer I will grow into a high-level position and will eventually become an expert on solar generation theory was well as data evaluation and diagnostic techniques.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Performance Theory and Modeling

The Performance Engineer will have deep knowledge of the theory and computer modeling platforms to simulate PV plant performance, determine if installed systems are exceeding production targets, and providing general diagnostic assessments when needed. The Performance Engineer will need to keep abreast of latest theoretical developments and technologies. This may require participation in international code writing committees, presenting papers, and moderating panels at international symposiums.

Analysis and Reporting

The Performance Engineer will be the designated contact for a set of operating plant, and they are accountable for accurate data and obligated reports. Additional analyses may be assigned at the request of external and internal customers. These evaluations will assess items such as equipment health, financial projections, energy credits, degradation, soiling, system issue diagnosis, and economic optimization. Some custom reporting will be as required by specific customer contracts or regulatory bodies. Further, the Performance Engineer will develop methods that improve automated reporting systems in the areas of data validation, missed data collection, data curation, and troubleshooting tools.

Performance Monitoring

The Performance Engineer will work closely with our remote operations centers and may assist in the development of advanced monitoring tools used to detect fleet operating issues. Work will include deriving more powerful metrics and techniques such as predictive maintenance triggers.

Plant Betterment

The Performance Engineer will help improve the bottom-line for our customers by proposing solutions to improve equipment uptime and generation potential. This may be completed by diagnosing issues that degrade capability and proposing recommended solutions. These solutions may involve capital investment in equipment and improved processes. Solutions may require the participation of other company departments as well as customer engagement. The Performance Engineer shall create clear and concise proposals. If accepted, the Performance Engineer may be expected to lead their project to completion.

Instrumentation and Measurement Uncertainty

The Performance Engineer will have a solid understanding of instrumentation systems including primary sensors, analogue to digital conversion, signal conditioning and scaling, data logging, transport and archival. Specifically, an understanding is most important for power meters and meteorological measurement devices (insolation, and ambient conditions).

The Performance Engineer will have a solid understating in the statistical propagation of measurement error and will have the ability to conduct a formal uncertainty analysis that provides confidence intervals surrounding results based on instrumentation systems and correction methods.

Performance Testing

The Performance Engineer may be responsible for the demonstration of project guarantees. These efforts include authoring and ratifying performance test procedures, being responsible for the accuracy of all instrumentation and confirming that the installed instrumentation meets testing goals, being responsible for the accuracy of all calculations. If necessary, the Performance Engineer will direct all testing activity that includes coordinating all stakeholders and publishing final reports.

Sales Support /Contract Negotiations

The Performance Engineer may assist our sales teams by: establishing project guarantees and the associated risk, review of performance models that project guarantees, negotiate agreements, assist in a timely fashion on sales support and customer negotiations as the performance expert.

Education, Skills, and Related Work Experience

• Bachelor s degree in engineering, math, or physics. Graduate degree a bonus.
• Training in energy systems is preferred with some understanding of PV performance prediction. This includes resource assessment, sky transposition models, mono/poly/thin film PV module characteristics, inverters, array soiling and shading, DC and AC collection systems, and power grid dynamics.
• Proficiency with Python or Matlab type programing environments. Python is preferred.
• Ability to communicate efficiently and accurately in the spoken and written English while conveying a sense of professionalism, courtesy, and competency
• Demonstrated analytical skills with the ability to accurately describe the relationship between physical events and trends in measured data of highly complex systems
• Ability to work in cross-matrix teams of peers to efficiently complete highly complex projects and goals.
• Ability to share technical expertise with team members and mentor others for success.
• Ability to prioritize and execute multiple projects and tasks.
• Ability to work onsite in our Chandler, AZ office.

Office Physical Requirements:

All positions in our office require interaction with people and technology while either standing or sitting. In order to best service our customers, internal and external, all associates must be able to communicate face-to-face and on the phone with or without reasonable accommodation. NovaSource is committed to compliance with its obligations under all applicable state and federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. In keeping with this commitment, it attempts to reasonably accommodate applicants and employees in accordance with the requirements of the disability discrimination laws. It also invites individuals with disabilities to participate in a good faith, interactive process to identify reasonable accommodations that can be made without imposing an undue hardship.

Potential candidates will meet the education and experience requirements provided on the above job description and excel in completing the listed responsibilities for this role.

US: Diversity Statement Equal Employment Opportunity

It is NovaSource s policy to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees. NovaSource disapproves of, and will not tolerate, unlawful discrimination against any applicant or employee because of race, color, national origin or ancestry, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, age, religion, disability, family care status, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other basis protected by local, state or federal laws.