Solar Performance Engineer – Asset Operations & Maintenance
Description
ROLE OVERVIEW
The Performance Engineer (O&M) will play an important role in driving value for Pivot Energy’s distributed generation assets. This role is highly collaborative, supporting internal and external stakeholders in the establishment of Pivot Energy as an industry-leading ESG-focused IPP. As our portfolio grows, we cannot rely on manual oversight. Your ability to build automated "sanity checks" on our data ensures that asset managers and service teams are working on the most impactful tasks, directly protecting the IRR of our renewable assets. The Performance Engineer will ensure that current and future performance of the assets is in line with project proformas. We are seeking a data-driven engineer to bridge the gap between raw SCADA data and actionable field maintenance. In this role, you will not just report on underperformance; you will diagnose it and support action plans with asset managers to improve performance. You will leverage your background in electrical engineering and data science to identify systemic issues, optimize energy yield, and provide recommendations to asset modeling and DAS system interface as well as field service work.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
Performance Monitoring & Diagnostics: Monitor real-time and historical plant data to identify underperformance related to system alerts, equipment efficiency, AC and DC health, including but not limited to inverter efficiency, tracker misalignment, or string-level anomalies. System Optimization: Identify inefficiencies and develop strategies to improve energy yield and system availability. Troubleshooting: Diagnose and resolve technical issues affecting system performance, grid stability and control systems. Root Cause Analysis (RCA): Lead technical investigations into equipment failures and outage events. Move beyond "what" happened to "why" by correlating meteorological data with electrical output. Data Automation: Develop and maintain Python/R scripts or SQL queries to automate the ingestion and cleaning of DAS/SCADA data, replacing manual spreadsheet workflows. Advanced Modeling: Use PVsyst and DAS modeling logic to compare actual vs. expected energy production, adjusting for degradation and weather variance and system loss identification. Action Liaison: Translate complex data findings into "Action Reports." You will tell the asset managers and field technicians which specific components to test, reducing "truck roll" costs and mean time to repair (MTTR). Contractual Compliance: Calculate and track Guarantee Availability and Performance Ratio (PR) to ensure O&M providers are meeting PPA obligations. Additional responsibilities as required.
REQUIRED COMPETENCIES
Experience 3+ years in the solar industry, specifically within O&M, Performance Engineering, or Asset Management. Solar Expertise: Understanding of DC/AC ratios, clipping losses, inverter operating curves, and the impact of soiling/shading. Education: B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Renewable Energy, or a related quantitative field. Technical Skills: * Proficiency in Python (Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn) or R for data analysis. Strong SQL skills for querying large historical datasets. Hands-on experience with PVsyst and meteorological data (MET) stations. Strong organizational skills with ability to track & execute large volumes of on-going compliance obligations
PREFERRED COMPETENCIES
The "So What?" Factor: The ability to present technical findings to non-technical Asset Managers and VPs in a way that emphasizes financial impact. Field Empathy: You understand that a sensor might be "lying" due to a comms issue rather than a hardware failure. Mechanical engineering experience Battery Energy Storage performance monitoring and analysis Understanding of Community Solar NABCEP certification