May 2021.
SULANA DE JAGER, is the Plant Manager at De Aar Solar Power and has been in the sector since 2016. She entered the renewable energy sector as a beneficiary of the Globeleq Scholarship Fund (GSF) and now manages the operations for a utility scale solar PV plant.
“I can easily summarise the highlights of my career starting with being accepted to study Mechatronics and then receiving scholarship funding. I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity thereafter to attend the first ever wind turbine technician training course offered in South Africa, before joining the Globeleq operations team,” explained De Jager.
The GSF launched seven years ago to help develop young engineering students for the nascent renewable energy industry and actively support the transformation of the industry. Over the years the fund has grown substantially and is now accountable for a sizeable percentage of renewable energy funded-scholarships, supporting youth and mostly women beneficiaries, setting an ambitious target not only for the renewable energy industry but for other sectors who are striving to support the transformation agenda of this country.
As one of the funds first recipients, De Jager went on to join the operations team at De Aar Solar Power as a solar technician, where she gained the necessary experience and skill set to expand before stepping into her current plant managerial role. She is now responsible for executing and managing the plant’s operational plans, plant maintenance, human resource, and HSE. Her role directly impacts the areas of cost, risk, and performance management.
