Pivot EnergyRemote
Solar Performance Engineer – Asset Operations & Maintenance
United States of America
Full Time
1 hour ago
$90,000 - $120,000 USD
H1B Sponsor Likely
Key skills
Solar industry experiencePerformance EngineeringAsset ManagementElectrical EngineeringPythonRSQLPVsystMeteorological data analysisData automationRoot Cause AnalysisContractual compliancescikit-learnPandasNumPyCollaboration
About this role
Pivot Energy is a national renewable energy provider dedicated to decarbonizing electricity and increasing access to clean energy. The Performance Engineer will drive value for distributed generation assets by monitoring performance, diagnosing issues, and optimizing energy yield through data analysis and collaboration with asset managers.
Responsibilities:
- 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
- Identify inefficiencies and develop strategies to improve energy yield and system availability
- Diagnose and resolve technical issues affecting system performance, grid stability and control systems
- Lead technical investigations into equipment failures and outage events
- Develop and maintain Python/R scripts or SQL queries to automate the ingestion and cleaning of DAS/SCADA data, replacing manual spreadsheet workflows
- Use PVsyst and DAS modeling logic to compare actual vs. expected energy production, adjusting for degradation and weather variance and system loss identification
- Translate complex data findings into 'Action Reports.'
- Calculate and track Guarantee Availability and Performance Ratio (PR) to ensure O&M providers are meeting PPA obligations
- Additional responsibilities as required
Requirements:
- Experience 3+ years in the solar industry, specifically within O&M, Performance Engineering, or Asset Management
- Understanding of DC/AC ratios, clipping losses, inverter operating curves, and the impact of soiling/shading
- B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Renewable Energy, or a related quantitative field
- 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
- The ability to present technical findings to non-technical Asset Managers and VPs in a way that emphasizes financial impact
- 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
- OSHA 30