Job Details: Senior Performance Engineer/Meteorologist/Atmospheric Scientist

Job Title Senior Performance Engineer/Meteorologist/Atmospheric Scientist
Company SunPower Corporation
Location San Jose CA (US)
Date Posted 02/03/10
SunPower’s System Performance Group is responsible for characterizing and estimating the performance of installed PV systems. The group creates and maintains specialized computer simulation software to model the energy output of SunPower products and systems, analyzes the long-term energy performance of a large fleet of grid-connected PV plants, and performs targeted field and lab tests to characterize the performance of both new and existing technologies.

The meteorologist will be responsible for (1) understanding the impact of weather on PV performance and how meteorological conditions are used for simulating PV performance, (2) understanding the criteria necessary for evaluating the quality of available weather data, (3) locating the most reliable and accessible sources of relevant weather data in SunPower’s market regions and managing SunPower’s access to this data, and (4) communicating this knowledge to the Performance Group, to other groups within SunPower, and to our customers. A strong understanding of solar irradiance is preferred.

The position involves work within a dynamic, cross-departmental team of engineers, technicians, analysts, and internal customers to identify research needs, develop and execute analysis and test plans, and communicate research results to assist in the development of new products and services. Research will involve the use of existing data from SunPower’s operating fleet of PV systems and the acquisition of supplementary data through outside sources. Limited travel may be required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Develop procedures and methods for collecting and analyzing test data
• Develop and execute research, analysis and test plans
• Develop, test, and validate analytical and engineering meteorological models
• Characterize system performance using remotely-acquired meteorological and energy data
• Communicate key results of research in a timely and effective manner to supervisor and other stakeholders through memos, reports and presentations
• Support product development, sales, marketing, and finance departments on system performance-related initiatives
• Prepare reports and presentations to communicate analysis findings, research plans, or plans for product development efforts
• Respond to requests for information from customers and other departments on short notice

Education and Experience

• Bachelor degree plus 5 to 6 years of experience or Master degree plus 3 to 4 years of experience.
• Degree(s) should be in science or engineering field, with emphasis on meteorology or atmospheric science
• 2-3 years experience work with energy systems
• 1-2 years project experience

Qualifications

• Strong background in climate or atmospheric science
• Familiarity with global solar resource databases: NSRDB, MeteoStat, MeteoClim, MeteoNorm, solar prospector, etc.
• Strong analytical skills, background in math, science, and statistics
• Knowledge of energy/power system, with knowledge of solar electric systems preferred
• Sense of both technical and business aspects of PV industry preferred
• Strong time management skills: self-direction/initiative/ability to prioritize multiple tasks from multiple requestors
• Strong communications skills, both verbal and written
• People skills/Customer Relations skills with internal and external customers
• Strong project management/organizational skills

Log in or register to apply for this job.



Bookmark and Share

When you apply, make sure you mention that you saw the job at Clean Edge Jobs! Also, contact us when you land a job you found on our site. We'd love to hear from you.