Solar Technician - Boshof

Globeleq is seeking a Solar Technician in Boshof, South Africa, for a permanent, full-time role. The technician will perform preventive and corrective maintenance on solar plants, ensuring adherence to safety protocols. Responsibilities include managing maintenance schedules, resolving technical issues, conducting inspections, and preparing reports. Globeleq is a leading independent power producer in Africa, focused on renewable energy projects.
Solar Technician - Boshof

Application Deadline: 29 May 2025

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 16 power plants in 7 countries, 488MW of new power projects in construction 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. In South Africa, Globeleq owns and operates renewable energy (RE) power plants throughout the country.

In this role the Solar Technician performs preventive and corrective maintenance on a solar plant, ensuring that safety protocols (HSE) are followed. Their role includes maximizing the plant's performance and availability, conducting root cause analysis, and identifying optimization opportunities. They also prepare technical reports on maintenance activities and events, working under the guidance of the Site Manager to ensure plant deliverables are met.

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 String Combiner Box (SCB) maintenance as per annual maintenance schedule
• Infrared Red scans of panels, SCBs, transformers and inverters
• Inspections as scheduled on substation, E-House and SCBs
• 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. Interact with Eskom Control as required
10. Prepare Requests for Quotes as needed
11. Record keeping and management of spare part movements
12. Report significant events to the Site Manager
13. 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 N6 or S4 National Diploma in Electrical Engineering is required
• Valid driver’s license is required (minimum Code B)
• 2+ years of hands-on experience in solar plant maintenance, including preventive and corrective tasks
• Proficiency in electrical systems, wiring, and schematics, particularly related to solar plants
• Experience in switching LV and MV systems up to 22kV (preferred)
• Familiarity with Health, Safety, and Environmental (HSE) protocols in an industrial or energy-related environment
• Experience with lock-out tag-out procedures
• Strong understanding of photovoltaic (PV) systems and their components (panels, inverters, junction boxes, etc.)
• Knowledge of power and control systems (PLCs, VSDs etc.) is preferred
• Knowledge of SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems for a solar plant
• General ERP/CMMS experience is preferred
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages including Outlook, PowerPoint, Word and Excel