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Instrumentation Engineer for Utility-Scale Solar Projects

Terabase EnergySacramento, California, United States
On-site Full-time $100K/yr - $130K/yr

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Experience Level

Experience

Qualifications

We are looking for candidates who possess the following qualifications:A Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Control Systems, or a related field. Proven experience in utility-scale solar projects, specifically with a focus on field instrumentation and data acquisition systems. Strong technical knowledge of industrial communication protocols, particularly Modbus and DNP3.Experience with SCADA systems and performance analytics. Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail. Ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams and stakeholders.

About the job

Terabase Energy builds digital solutions and engineering methods for utility-scale solar projects. The team works to improve plant efficiency, lower Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), and speed up deployment worldwide. Their technologies include automation, data systems, and plant optimization tools.

Role overview

The Instrumentation Engineer designs, integrates, commissions, and supports field instrumentation and industrial communication protocols for large-scale solar projects. The work covers the full telemetry chain: from meteorological sensors and data loggers to SCADA/EMS integration. A key focus is ensuring secure, reliable, and standards-compliant data exchange for real-time control, analytics, and regulatory reporting.

This position collaborates closely with SCADA, controls, and performance engineering teams, along with EPC contractors and O&M partners, to develop scalable and highly available plant data systems.

What you will do

  • Design & Specification:
    • Develop instrumentation architecture for meteorological stations (irradiance, ambient temperature, module temperature, wind speed, barometric pressure), grid interconnection points, and balance-of-plant systems.
    • Prepare bills of materials, wiring diagrams, loop sheets, panel layouts, and instrument datasheets to meet project standards.
    • Select sensors, transducers, data loggers, gateways, and protective devices that comply with IEC, IEEE, NEMA, and utility requirements.
  • Protocol Integration:
    • Configure and map data points for Modbus RTU/ASCII, Modbus TCP, DNP3 (including secure/authenticated options), and vendor-specific interfaces.
    • Create point lists, registers, scaling, units, deadbands, and exception reporting for SCADA/EMS/Historian systems.
    • Implement time synchronization (NTP/IRIG-B), event logging, and sequence-of-events (SOE) protocols.
  • Commissioning & Validation:
    • Plan and conduct Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) for meteorological stations and plant instrumentation. Perform signal checks from sensor through controller, gateway, and SCADA.
    • Develop and run test scripts to evaluate protocol polling, quality flags, and fallback logic. Verify data accuracy using portable calibrators and reference instruments.
    • Troubleshoot field issues involving noise, grounding, shielding, RS-485 biasing/termination, baud rate and link-layer settings, device IDs, and master/slave roles.
  • Reliability, Cybersecurity & Compliance:
    • Apply best practices for failover, redundancy, and health monitoring (watchdogs, heartbeats, CRC validation).
    • Support secure configurations: role-based access, encrypted transport for TCP variants, DNP3 Secure Authentication, and network segmentation/VLANs.
    • Work with IT/OT teams to ensure compliance with utility interconnection, RTO/ISO telemetry requirements, and standards such as IEEE, IEC, and NERC CIP.
  • Operational Excellence:
    • Encourage continuous improvement and operational excellence in all instrumentation processes.

Location: Sacramento, California, United States

About Terabase Energy

Terabase Energy is at the forefront of transforming utility-scale solar energy through advanced technological solutions, focusing on digitalization and automation to enhance plant performance and efficiency. Our mission is to reduce costs and accelerate the deployment of solar energy systems globally, making renewable energy accessible and sustainable for all.

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