Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Solar Provider Group is seeking a Senior Grid & Interconnection Analyst to lead grid and interconnection analytics across distributed solar, front-of-meter battery energy storage, and utility-scale storage. The role screens points of interconnection, manages utility engagement and interconnection applications, and translates grid costs, timelines, and operating limits into project development and valuation decisions.
Responsibilities
- Identify regions within utility territories with available hosting capacity, charging (load) headroom, and favorable queue conditions for generation and BESS, coupled or standalone. Run screening-level power-flow and hosting-capacity analyses on distribution and sub-transmission networks, and scope and manage utility or consultant studies when they are needed
- Analyze all available grid data and utility filings to identify regions suitable for solar and BESS development and land acquisition campaigns (e.g., hosting-capacity maps and data services, IX application throughput, interconnection queues and queue performance reports, trackers, pre-apps, integrated resource plans, etc.)
- Screen candidate POIs (substations, feeders, and line taps, including those identified in the field by the land acquisition team), prepare and submit pre-applications and applications, and advise the strategy, project development, and land acquisition teams regarding interconnection viability at prospective sites, including an interconnection go/no-go recommendation within each site’s due-diligence period
- Review and manage interconnection and study agreements, tracking deposits, milestones, and cost responsibility, and provide information to de-risk projects and reduce costs
- Identify and propose flexible interconnection arrangements to utilities/grid operators (e.g., export or charging limits, curtailment, DC-coupled configurations, adding storage to queued solar) that enable larger capacity project development with less expensive upgrades
- Build and own relationships with utility interconnection staff and liaise with them to develop creative solutions and secure favorable access to the grid
- Build and maintain SPG’s interconnection analytics tools: automated pulls of utility hosting-capacity and queue data, GIS maps and displays of distribution grid status and dynamics, and the interconnection inputs to SPG’s site scorecard and project tracking boards (monday.com)
- Interpret technical studies provided by utilities and advise on potential project downsizing to secure quick and inexpensive access to the grid
- Build and maintain SPG’s interconnection cost and timeline benchmarks (upgrade $/kW, estimate accuracy by study stage, queue-to-agreement durations, withdrawal rates) to estimate contingent upgrade exposure from projects ahead in the queue and to set cost ranges by interconnection stage
- Assess the interconnection requirements of battery energy storage, co-located with solar or standalone (e.g., charging studies, import limits, operating modes, transfer trip and protection), and quantify their impact on the business case
- Translate interconnection costs, schedules, and design changes into inputs for project financial models, and assess their impact on the financial viability and value of a project at NTP
- Advise on strategic decisions for interconnection projects and new-market entry, including cost allocation, congestion risks, and mitigation strategies
- Participate in interconnection working groups hosted by utilities and public utility commissions, track interconnection rule changes and proceedings (e.g., state interconnection rules, PJM and MISO queue reforms, net-metering dockets), and summarize their impact for SPG’s strategy
- Own the accuracy of interconnection data across SPG’s systems and provide regular reporting on project-specific interconnection information to inform project schedules, budgets, and key decision-making
Skills
- 4–6 years' experience in interconnection, distribution or transmission planning, or grid analytics for solar and/or BESS (developer, utility, consultant, or ISO/RTO), including hands-on management of interconnection applications through the study and agreement stages
- University degree in Electrical Engineering (power systems preferred), Energy Systems, or a related quantitative field
- Demonstrated ability to combine strong analytical and technical competence with solid commercial acumen to interpret grid studies and interconnection data, including opportunities for co-located or standalone BESS, and synthesize these inputs into clear, compelling business cases
- Working knowledge of state distribution interconnection rules (e.g., Illinois, Virginia) and of PJM and MISO interconnection processes under FERC rules
- Experience working closely with engineers and other technical teams, with an understanding of technical requirements and the project development cycle
- Experience with BESS interconnection (charging and import limits, operating modes) and utility-scale interconnection processes
- Understanding of hosting-capacity methods, cluster studies, flexible interconnection, curtailment, and generation shifting
- Thorough understanding of technical considerations and electrical theory, paired with strong social skills and the ability to explain complicated technical matters to laypersons
- Proficiency with grid modeling and simulation tools (e.g., CYME, Synergi, OpenDSS, PSS/E, PowerFactory, or similar) to run screening analyses and critically review utility study results
- Strong data skills: Python (e.g., pandas, working with APIs) and/or SQL and advanced Excel required
- Comfortable navigating utility interconnection portals and hosting-capacity maps, including working with the underlying GIS data in QGIS or ArcGIS
- Proven ability to own a function with limited supervision, structure ambiguous problems, document and verify data sources, and use AI tools and automation to build repeatable analyses
- PE, P.Eng., or EIT is a plus
- ISO-NE and non-RTO (e.g., Southeast) experience is a plus
- Experience working with investor-owned utilities, cooperatives, municipal utilities, independent system operators, regional transmission operators, and public utility commissions in the United States is preferable
- Power BI or similar is a plus
- Exposure to financial models for PV and BESS is a plus
- An established network of utility interconnection contacts in PJM and/or MISO is a plus
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