Inverter/Power Conversion Expert/EV charger Engineer, Solar (and Storage) Technology

Employer
DNV
Location
Seattle, Washington
Posted
Dec 01, 2023
Closes
Dec 10, 2023
Ref
2685665423
Discipline
Engineering
Position Type
Engineer
Hours
Full Time
Organization Type
Corporate, Other Corporate
Local Unit & Position Description

Would you like to influence the solar industry and have the opportunity to grow and thrive as a thought leader? Are you committed to address climate change and positively impact society and the planet? Do you enjoy collaborating with colleagues and clients, and thrive in a dynamic and respectful environment?

Then a position on our Solar Independent Engineering and Technology Team is a great fit for you!

DNV - Energy's Renewables & Power Grids Advisory group is seeking an Inverter/Power Conversion Expert/EV charger Engineer, Solar (and Storage) Technology to join our solar technology team. DNV is the world's leading renewable energy consultant, and our respected staff is viewed as thought leaders in the industry. DNV's Solar IE and Technology team holds a substantial market position in North America as a provider of independent engineering and bankability services to support the financing and construction of solar and storage energy projects. In this role, our team provides technical consulting and due diligence on behalf of project developers, financial institutions, and investors who rely on our reports in making investment and risk assessment decisions. This solar technology team also takes a leading role in conference participation, participation in codes/standards committees, and establishing internal and industry guidance on assessing technology risk for our teams in North America and globally. Our team is a high-performing, innovative team that strives for equity, respect, and diversity.As a member of the Solar Technology team, the successful candidate will provide technical advisory and other consulting services associated with inverters used in solar and storage projects as well as EV chargers. The work will include technical due diligence of inverter systems for use in pre-construction, construction, and operational projects on behalf of lenders and investors. This position will also provide technical support and advisory services to project developers and product manufacturers, including bankability studies, failure analysis, support for RFPs, and technical specifications, among others. The role will include working with product manufacturers to opine on product design and expected reliability and managing relationships with applicable manufacturers and other stakeholders.

Performing technical reviews will require candidates who can assess detailed aspects of inverter design, including design of the power conversion stack, modeling of thermal behavior, modeling of control algorithms, and the ability to make recommendations on testing to validate product performance. The technical review will include an evaluation with respect to relevant codes and standards. The successful candidate should be familiar with the major suppliers of power conversion equipment in the solar, wind, and storage industry and with the primary technical differences between products and market segments.This position may be based in any of our Renewables Advisory DNV North American offices including Oakbrook, IL (Chicago); San Diego, CA; Oakland, CA; Chalfont, PA; Portland, OR; Austin, TX; Houston, TX, Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; or Medford, MA.What You'll Do
  • Provide written and oral technical advice to customers including commenting on design, reliability, and cost aspects of solar PV inverters and/ or EV chargers, and reviewing and commenting on engineering documentation relating to:
    • Design and reliability aspects of power inverters/converters
    • Grid connection contracts including all technical specifications and grid codes
    • Manufacture and installation of power inverters/converters and associated equipment
  • Electrical documentation relating to:
    • Power converter design
    • Testing of converter equipment
    • Field and reliability data
    • Operation and maintenance documents
  • Produce detailed reports which review the feasibility of power conversion equipment used in solar/wind/energy storage projects
  • Manage stakeholder relationships to develop new business opportunities and promote complementary services from other parts of DNV
    • Activities will include development of proposal for product reviews, contributions to conference calls with new clients, and updates to internal sales and project tracking software applications
  • Provide electrical guidance concerning power conversion and electrical distribution equipment across the functions of design, test, and manufacture
  • Provide guidance regarding electrical codes and grid standards as related to solar/wind/energy storage design and field operation
  • Assess product design including aspects of power conversion, thermal design, and control strategies (which may involve bespoke calculations and/or simulations)
  • Review manufacturing facilities for compliance with quality/safety procedures and practices
  • Travel to project sites for product reliability evaluation and/or failure root cause analysis
  • Travel to engineering/manufacturing facilities to review product design and manufacture, and to field sites to review installation, operation, and maintenance
  • Relate the results of inverter technical reviews to broader technical due diligence scopes by making recommendations regarding commercial and technical risk mitigation and financial model assumptions
Position Qualifications

What is Required
  • Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering with a focus in power systems or power electronics from an accredited university
  • Minimum of 2 years of relevant engineering experience in the operation, testing, deployment or product support of solar and/or storage power conversion technologies and EV chargers
  • Familiarity designing or evaluating products for compliance with UL 1741, IEEE 1547, IEC 62109, UL 2750 and UL 9741
  • Familiarity designing or evaluating products for compliance with North American standards, including NEC Knowledge of equivalent international standards for power converters associated electrical equipment
  • General PV system design and factors that impact safety, and performance
  • The generation of reports for external clients is a primary function for this position
  • Exceptional candidates with additional years of experience, will be considered for senior / principal level roles
  • Excellent written and verbal English communication skills
  • We conduct pre-employment drug and background screening
What is Preferred
  • A graduate degree
  • 2 years of experience in the design and/or testing of power conversion equipment used in solar, wind, or energy storage applications and/ or EV chargers
  • Professional Engineer (PE) license
  • Experience with power converter manufacturing
  • Willingness and ability to travel, up to 15% of the time, domestically and internationally
  • Familiarity developing or implementing safety policies related to product design and testing
  • Additional preferred skills and experience include:
    • Familiarity with simulation tools/libraries such as PVsyst, SAM, PVLib
    • Familiarity with R, Python, or other programming languages
    • Some background in uncertainty, probability, and statistics
    • Familiarity reviewing EPC and O&M contracts
    • Familiarity with operational solar PV and/or storage assets and system reliability
What We Offer
  • Generous Paid Time Off (Vacation, Company Holidays, Parental Leave, Sick, and Disability)
  • Multiple Medical, Dental, and Vision Benefit Plans to choose from
  • Spending Accounts - FSA, Dependent Care, Commuter Benefits, Company-Seeded HSA401(K) with company match
  • Company provided life insurance, short-term, and long-term disability benefits
  • Education reimbursement program
  • Employer-Paid, therapist-led, virtual care services through Talkspace
  • Flexible work schedule with hybrid/remote opportunities
Benefits vary based on position, tenure, location, and employee election

How We Do It

We Care, We Dare, We Share

DNV is a proud equal opportunity employer committed to building an inclusive and diverse workforce. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit or business need, without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

DNV is committed to ensuring equal employment opportunity, including providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with a disability. US applicants with a physical or mental disability who require a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process may contact the North America Recruitment department (
). Information received relating to accommodations will be addressed confidentially.

DNV is proud to announce being named one of Houston's best places to work in the 2022 Houston Business Journal - Best Places to Work competition.

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As required by the Colorado Equal Pay Transparency Act and New York City Salary Transparency Law, DNV provides a reasonable range of compensation for roles that may be hired in Colorado or New York City . click apply for full job details