Solar electrical technician

Job Description

The Solar Electrical Technician is a highly motivated solar electrical technician whose demonstrated expertise enables them to perform advanced electrical, telecommunication, and mechanical repair and maintenance activities, including testing and repair of all major and balance-of-system components utilized in utility-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation. This professional will be leading and overseeing a team of PPM Special Projects Field Technicians and be responsible for scheduling and completion of special projects across the fleet. This position requires maintaining excellent documentation and communication with outside parties. This role demands extensive travel up to 75% of the time to remote solar sites with extended stays for up to but not limited to 5 consecutive days.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensure that all peers and subcontractors demonstrate safe work practices in accordance with OSHA, NFPA, state and local codes, and Strata Solar Clean Energy O&M safety policies and procedures in the performance of plant maintenance activities.
• Lead safety briefings that identify all potential hazards within a scope of electrical work as well as ways to mitigate exposure to any hazardous conditions.
• Work on and around energized electrical parts in compliance with all electrical codes and company policies.
• Use multimeter, low resistance Ohmmeter, PV Analyzer, IR thermometer, IR camera, and hand-held irradiance meter as well as a variety of hand tools in the performance of electrical maintenance work.
• Perform Lockout/Tagout activities to ensure work is always performed in compliance with intended electrical isolation procedures.
• Troubleshoot & diagnose common Direct Current (DC) faults within the PV plant.
• Review and update work orders for accuracy.
• Complete and submit all assigned inspection and testing data as required.
• Create excellent, detailed documentation.
• Travel to various sites across the company portfolio.
• Troubleshoot & diagnose a wide range of Direct Current (DC) faults within the PV plant.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education and/or Work Experience Requirements

• Minimum three (3) years of experience working with energized AC or DC systems or other relevant experience.
• Ability to demonstrate basic working knowledge of electrical theory & PV power generating system fundamentals.
• Comprehensive knowledge of testing equipment, tools and procedures utilized in the maintenance of PV power generation systems.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with other Power Plant Maintenance technicians, interdepartmental technicians and other personnel, vendors, and subcontractors in the performance of scheduled and unscheduled plant maintenance activities.
• Proficiency with MS Office applications including MS Word, MS Excel, and SharePoint, as well as industry-related software platforms including CMMS, Flir Tools, and PV Analyzer.
• Ability to operate in a professional workmanlike manner consistent with the organization's policies, procedures, and vision.

Physical Requirements/Work Environment

• Must be able to work in an outdoor environment and travel occasionally to remote project sites.
• Must be able to sit, stand or walk for the entire duration of a shift.
• Must be able to stoop, kneel or bend.
• Must be able to lift, push or pull 50 lbs. overhead repeatedly.
• 20/40 vision in each eye, with or without correction, and ability to distinguish colors.
• Ability to wear full complement of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as required.
• Must have the ability to travel up to 75% of the time, work on-call during off-shift hours and weekends.