Development Engineer (Wind, Solar & BESS) at Seriti

The Role

• To manage the technical energy analysis for Seriti Green’s development portfolio, spanning wind, solar PV and battery energy storage (BESS), from project inception through to commencement of construction.
• The role sits within the Development team and works closely with the Business Development (BD) team on the commercial shaping and pricing of projects.

Key responsibilities include:

• Provide wind turbine layouts and energy estimates as requested by project managers and the executive for all projects across the portfolio.
• Work with lenders advisors to ensure that wind data and energy numbers are bankable and acceptable to lenders.
• Site visits to assess proposed turbine and monitoring locations
• Plan and coordinate on-site services such as monitoring campaigns, geotechnical and other engineering activities
• Assist with work required for development approvals (noise assessments, visual impact, mapping, wind turbine layouts etc)
• Manage the monitoring equipment on site (checking for equipment failure and organising maintenance)
• GIS support/mapping for the regions
• Lead BESS sizing, dispatch modelling and optimisation for standalone storage, wind + BESS and solar + BESS hybrid configurations.
• Optimise BESS power, energy and duration against multiple revenue streams, including wholesale energy arbitrage, WEPS and Megaflex tariff arbitrage, ancillary services, capacity payments and corporate PPA firming.
• Develop dispatch strategies and cycling profiles that balance revenue generation against warranty conditions, degradation curves and augmentation schedules.
• Interface with BESS OEMs and integrators on technical specifications, performance guarantees, warranty terms and augmentation planning.
• Build and maintain the technical inputs to the financial model, including round-trip efficiency, availability, degradation, augmentation capex, and fixed and variable O&M.
• Model the interaction between renewable generation, BESS dispatch and the grid connection point for hybrid projects, including any curtailment mitigation the BESS provides.
• Generate hourly, monthly and annual energy production profiles for use in commercial pricing, PPA structuring and offtake negotiations.
• Support the Business Development team with technical inputs to tariff pricing, WEPS-based revenue modelling, wheeling calculations and offtake structuring.
• Model aggregated portfolio profiles across multiple projects for the sale of a combined shaped energy product to corporate and utility offtakers.
• Contribute to the technical narrative in commercial proposals, information memoranda and offtaker presentations.
• Assess emerging technologies (long-duration storage, alternative BESS chemistries, hybrid configurations, curtailment monetisation) for their relevance to Seriti Green’s pipeline.
• Support the executive on strategic technical questions as they arise.
• Provide other support for the development team as requested

Essential Skills

• Displays high ethical standards by Seriti Green safety, personnel, and community values
• Proven ability to achieve desired outcomes in a collaborative style
• Strong planning and organisational skills
• An ability to think and act logically on required tasks
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrated administration skills
• Strong data analysis skills
• Innovative mindset and ability to adapt to change
• Self-starter who can thrive in autonomous settings

Education & Experience

• Relevant Degree level qualification in Engineering (B.Eng or BSc(Eng))
• 3- 5 years Experience in generating wind energy assessment is required.
• Experience in modelling and optimizing BESS systems, including dispatch modelling against multiple revenue streams is highly preferred.
• Familiarity with the South African electricity market, including WEPS, Megaflex, wheeling frameworks and the evolving ancillary services and capacity markets. Highly preferred.
• Exposure to hybrid project design (wind + BESS, solar + BESS) is an advantage.
• GIS capability advantageous
• Strong data analysis skills (Excel & Python)
• Frequent travel to site
• Requirement to be flexible with working hours to accommodate stakeholder availability and travel requirements
• Developing systems and processes such that Seriti Green continually improves

Competencies & Attributes

• Enthusiastic commitment to the renewable energy industry
• Ability to demonstrate high standards of ethical conduct, honesty and integrity
• High attention to accuracy; cost conscious
• The capacity and willingness to perform hands-on tasks
• Self-motivated with the ability to work both individually and as a part of a small, skilled, and highly focused team, with a “can-do” attitude and willingness to take ownership of delivering on their goals and responsibilities
• Proactive approach to problem-solving and comfortable to make recommendations around resolving challenges
• Strong commercial acumen and an ability to think and act strategically in order to maximize opportunities for the business
• Flexible working style, able to work at a variety of differently levels both inside and outside the organisation and with members of the team being in different locations
• Team player
• Comfortable, available and willing to travel and do business within Africa at times
• High attention to detail including adherence to company procedures
• Resourceful, well organised and effective at accomplishing objectives
• Ability to learn quickly and meet deadlines
• Ability to problem-solve