Team spotlight - Dylan Liliana
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role within Gentari Australia.
Hi, I’m Dylan! I’m working at Gentari Australia as an engineering intern. Over the last couple of months, I have worked across a range of different teams, where I have gained a lot of professional insight into my future.
Currently, I’m studying a Bachelor of Engineering, majoring in Photovoltaics and Solar Energy (i.e., solar panels) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). It’s a fairly specific major; I chose it because it allowed me to learn about one area in great depth, and importantly, it seemed really interesting to me.
My internship is part of the Co-op Program at UNSW. The program connects students with industry partners across key industries, allowing students to gain real world insights into the career path they are studying towards. It’s a great opportunity! I’m on this placement for 22 weeks.
How have you found the experience?
Gentari Australia is a welcoming and nice place to work. I am doing what I love most, which is learning, and I feel well supported by the team.
The experience has helped me translate the things I learnt in lectures into real life examples and usage. I’ve also learnt a lot as the industry has some concepts and abbreviations of its own to pick up on.
Going to site was very exciting as it was my first time seeing a solar farm - especially one in construction. It’s one thing to see solar projects on the internet or on documentation. It’s a different thing altogether to see one being built. It is quite inspiring really, and makes you appreciate the skill, collaboration, and hard work involved in developing and constructing these projects.
You recently visited the ‘Golden Row’ at the Maryvale Solar & Energy Storage Project. How did you find the experience and what is a ‘Golden Row’?
The ‘Golden Row’ is the first row of panels installed on a solar farm, practically serving as the standard for quality and workmanship for the rest of the rows during construction. It is also a milestone that Gentari and the project celebrates.
As for the experience, while I didn’t contribute to the project, I was very happy for my coworkers. To be honest, I was mainly geeking out about the actual solar panels: how big they were; the type of cells; the bifaciality. It’s just a symptom of being a photovoltaic engineer!
What keeps you busy outside of renewable energy and solar technology?
Video gaming keeps me busy. I also like watching movies and playing board games with my family.
I’m a big fan of bizarre facts on topics such as biology, crime, history and astronomy.
Finally, I’m trying to pick up crocheting to hopefully make sleeves around the office mugs and improve their insulation!