Owner’s Engineer – Large-Scale Solar PV & BESS

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Renewable Energy Engineering, or related discipline.
  
• Experience acting as Owner’s Engineer, Independent Engineer, Lender’s Engineer, or Technical Advisor on large infrastructure projects.
  
• Strong knowledge of grid interconnection and power system integration.
  
• Professional engineering registration preferred.
  

Project Feasibility & Technical Study Validation

Review and validate all technical studies supporting project bankability and design development, including:

• Site Selection & Resource Studies
  
• Solar resource assessment and satellite data validation
  
• Long-term irradiation datasets and uncertainty analysis
  
• Shading and horizon analysis
  
• Site screening and comparative site selection
  

Topographical & Land Studies

• Review detailed topographical surveys
  
• Validate plant layout optimization and earthworks assumptions
  
• Evaluate grading requirements and site constructability
  

Geotechnical Studies

• Review soil investigations, pile pull tests, and geotechnical reports
  
• Validate foundation design assumptions
  
• Assess risk of settlement, pile refusal, or soil instability
  

Hydrological & Drainage Studies

• Review flood risk modelling
  
• Evaluate site drainage design
  
• Validate stormwater management strategies
  

Grid Interconnection & Power System Studies

Review and validate:

• Grid interconnection studies
  
• Load flow studies
  
• Short circuit analysis
  
• Transient stability studies
  
• Harmonic studies
  
• Protection coordination studies
  
• Ensure compliance with utility grid codes and interconnection requirements.
  

Plant Design & Performance Optimization

Review and validate engineering designs prepared by EPC contractors and consultants. Key areas include:

Solar PV Plant Design

• Plant layout and DC architecture
  
• String sizing and DC/AC ratio optimization
  
• Tracker vs fixed tilt selection
  
• Cable routing and electrical balance of plant
  

Energy Yield Modelling

Validate production modelling performed in tools such as:

• PVsyst
  
• Helioscope
  
• HOMER
  
• Internal performance models
  

Verify:

• Loss assumptions
  
• Degradation models
  
• Curtailment assumptions
  
• Availability modelling
  
• P50 / P90 production estimates
  

BESS Integration & Firm Power Delivery

Review design and operation of Battery Energy Storage Systems integrated with solar plants. Key responsibilities:

• Validate battery sizing assumptions for firm power delivery
  
• Review charge/discharge strategies
  
• Evaluate state-of-charge management
  
• Review EMS and SCADA control logic
  
• Ensure system capability to deliver firm hourly baseload output
  
• Validate the ability of the integrated PV + BESS system to meet:
  
• Dispatch obligations
  
• 95% operational availability
  
• Contractual power delivery guarantees
  

Performance Guarantees & Contractual Validation

• Support the asset owner in validating EPC contractual guarantees, including:
  
• Plant capacity guarantees
  
• Performance ratio guarantees
  
• Energy yield guarantees
  
• System availability guarantees
  
• BESS performance guarantees (cycle life, round-trip efficiency)
  
• Ensure guarantees are realistic, measurable, and enforceable.
  

Engineering Design Review

Review detailed engineering designs prepared by EPC contractors, including:

• Electrical single line diagrams
  
• Substation and grid interconnection design
  
• Protection and control schemes
  
• SCADA and EMS architecture
  
• Plant layout drawings
  
• BESS container layout and safety systems
  
• Ensure compliance with:
  
• IEC standards
  
• IEEE standards
  
• Utility grid codes
  
• Local regulatory requirements
  

Construction Quality Oversight

• Conduct site inspections to verify installation quality and compliance with approved designs.
  
• Monitor EPC contractor QA/QC procedures and verify installation of key systems including:
  
• PV arrays and trackers
  
• Inverter stations
  
• Medium voltage networks
  
• Substations
  
• BESS containers and PCS systems
  

FAT, SAT & Commissioning Oversight

• Review and approve commissioning and testing procedures.
  
• Witness testing and commissioning on site
  
• Witness Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) for critical equipment including:
  
• Solar inverters
  
• Power conversion systems
  
• Battery modules
  
• Energy management systems
  
• Participate in Site Acceptance Tests (SAT), including:
  
• Grid energization
  
• SCADA integration
  
• Performance verification tests
  
• BESS dispatch testing
  

Operational Readiness & Performance Verification

• Ensure the plant is capable of meeting operational targets including:
  
• 95% guaranteed availability
  
• Firm hourly power delivery obligations
  
• Compliance with grid dispatch requirements
  

Validate:

• CoD and O&M readiness
  
• Monitoring systems
  
• Performance Ratio and Performance Guarantees