Photovoltaic (PV) Technician I

About the Company

Since its establishment in 2008, Mulilo has grown into one of South Africa’s leading Independent Power Producers (IPP). Mulilo is majority owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), with Norfund holding an additional investment through the Norwegian Climate Investment Fund.

Mulilo develops, constructs and operates utility scale wind, solar PV and battery energy storage projects across South Africa. The company currently operates 450 MW of wind and solar capacity, with a further 765 MW under construction. A portfolio exceeding 2 GW is advancing toward financial close, while the long term development pipeline exceeds 30 GW.

Mulilo has concluded power purchase agreements under the South African government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), as well as private offtake agreements with several large corporate energy users.

Mulilo places significant emphasis on its people and recognises that successful infrastructure delivery depends on capable and committed teams. The company prides itself on providing a world-class working environment, with a clear focus on career progression and personal growth. Grounded in its values, Mulilo fosters a culture of accountability, collaboration and purpose, while remaining committed to its environmental, social and governance responsibilities.

About this role

The PV Technician I is responsible for supporting all preventative and corrective maintenance activities on the solar plant in full compliance with HSE procedures. The role contributes to ensuring maximum plant availability and performance ratio. The incumbent must be capable of passing the required assessment to be authorised as an Authorised Supervisor and must demonstrate a willingness to learn all aspects of plant maintenance and operation under the mentorship of the Site Manager and PV Technician IIs, with the aim of progressing into a PV Technician II role.

Duties and responsibilities

• Assist in executing activities pertaining to Preventative Maintenance on the solar plant. Activities include, but are not limited to:
• Substation/Connection Centre maintenance as per OEM maintenance schedule.
• Inverter station maintenance as per OEM maintenance schedule.
• Transformer station maintenance as per OEM maintenance schedule.
• General Junction Box (GJB) and/or String Combiner Box (SCB) and/or Array Junction Box (AJB) maintenance as per plant maintenance plan.
• Inspections as scheduled on substation, inverter, GJBs and/or SCBs and/or AJBs.
• Infrared scans of panels, AJBs, GJBs/SCBs, transformers and inverters as per plant maintenance plan.
• CCTV system maintenance.
• Plant security/electrical fence maintenance.
• Inspect, test, diagnose and maintain tracker system (if applicable to plant).

• Assist in and execute activities pertaining to Corrective Maintenance on the solar plant. 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 or connection centre equipment (as applicable to plant).
• Assist in the diagnose, repair and/or replacement switchgear and control gear in PV systems.

• Assist in investigating technical failures and give feedback to the Site Manager.
• Assist in record-keeping and management of spare part movements.
• Report significant events to Site Manager, Plant Manager and HSSE Manager.
• Any other duties, as assigned by the Site Manager or Plant Manager, in line with the role.

Required skills and education background.

• Minimum 3 years’ utility experience in power plant or industry experience, with at least two years’ relevant PV plant experience.
• Have basic working knowledge of cable management.
• Red Seal qualification required (Electrician).
• Able to read and interpret single line diagrams and schematics is advantageous.
• Able to troubleshoot and analyse data including following various types of process charts, schematics and single line diagrams.
• Have a good understanding of integrated system and how to apply effective fault-finding techniques in such a system.
• Good verbal communication skills, in English.
• Ability to converse in Afrikaans is an advantage.
• Good written communication skills in English, including clear, concise emails and able to complete standardised technical reports e.g. risk assessment reports.
• Good team player; able to balance team and individual responsibilities.
• Good self-management ability including being able to prioritise work tasks and work effectively under limited supervision.

Desirable attributes

The ideal candidate would have a passion for the Renewable Energy sector and personality traits would include a high level of diligence, determination, resilience, and agility.

Additional Information

Able to work overtime according to operational needs.

The position is based at the solar plant site of the company, but local travel will be required occasionally.