Summer Graduate Internship: Renewable Energy Optimization Modeling & Analysis

Posting Title

Summer Graduate Internship: Renewable Energy Optimization Modeling & Analysis

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Location

CO – Golden

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Position Type

Intern (Fixed Term)

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Hours Per Week

40

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Job Description

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado, is the nation’s primary laboratory for research and development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. The Integrated Applications Center (IAC) helps clients including federal agencies, state and local governments, communities, and the private sector to develop energy strategies, analyze opportunities, and implement an integrated portfolio of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) technologies to meet energy goals.

NREL’s intern program provides a diverse opportunity for students and recent graduates. In addition to mentorship and real, hands-on experience, students and recent graduates will participate in professional development activities that will help strengthen their technical and professional skills.

The IAC is seeking a student intern to support technical analysis projects in the Modeling and Analysis Group. In this internship, the student will use engineering first principles and EE and RE analysis tools to assist NREL engineers in evaluating options for deployment of renewable energy, energy efficiency, storage, and conventional generation in buildings, campuses, or microgrids. This intern will contribute to development of the REopt modeling platform for energy systems integration and optimization. As part of the REopt team, the intern will perform analyses using REopt and contribute to its development. REopt is used to evaluate renewable energy, storage, and conventional energy options and recommend a mix of technologies and operating strategies that minimizes the lifecycle cost of energy for a site. REopt aggregates energy systems data including electric and thermal energy use, utility rates, incentives, and renewable energy resource data to inform technology and economic decisions.

Specific Job Duties include:

• Evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects using engineering first principles EE and RE analysis tools such as REopt, SAM, HOMER
• Generate and/or validate energy system technical performance models using engineering principle
• Work as a part of a software development team to develop and maintain models that analyze energy efficiency and renewable energy opportunities
• Develop, test, and document code to model renewable energy technology generation and costs, process user data inputs, and present data outputs to the user related to geothermal heat pumps.
• Research data inputs, collect information from various sources, reconcile discrepancies in data, and process it into model inputs
• Correspond with clients regarding data provided, clarifications, goals, constraints, and assumptions of analysis
• Present results to clients and revise results and reports in response to client comments

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s student with experience in geothermal research/applications
• Qualified Undergraduate or PhD candidates will also be considered

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Basic Qualifications

Must be enrolled as a full-time student in a degree granting program, or graduated in the past 12 months from an accredited institution. Internship period cannot exceed 12 months past graduation. Minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average. Please Note: Before interview selection, you will need to provide unofficial transcripts to verify GPA and full time enrollment.

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Additional Required Qualifications

• Programming experience: fluency in Python and ability to quickly pick up other languages
• Experience with heat transfer, thermodynamics, and energy system models
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills
• Ability to collaborate with team members in a remote work environment
• Ability to work independently
• High standards of work quality, detail oriented
• Smart, intellectually curious, analytical, and tenacious in finding solutions. Adaptable to a variety of roles and projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience using a wide range of EE/RE software tools such as REopt Lite, SAM, HOMER, and DER-CAM
• Experience applying engineering skills to EE and RE problems.
• Experience writing technical reports and/or academic papers
• Xpress, Julia, or other optimization software experience
• Basic knowledge of economics/ finance/cash flow analysis
• Experience working with and managing large amounts of data
• Experience using scripting languages for automating computer simulations

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Submission Guidelines

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NREL you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.

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EEO Policy

NREL is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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