Join NREL: Post Undergraduate/Graduate Intern in Renewable Energy Technology Cost Data Analysis

Location: Boulder, Colorado

Position Type: Fixed-Term Intern

Hours Per Week: 20

About NREL

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to work at the premier wind energy, water power, and grid integration research facility in the United States. Nestled south of Boulder, Colorado, near the Flatirons rock formations, our 305-acre Flatirons Campus provides an inspiring environment adjacent to the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge.

From your first day, you'll be part of a mission-driven team working together to save the planet. NREL's inclusive and supportive work environment features ten employee resource groups, various employee-driven clubs, and numerous learning and professional development classes.

Diversity and Inclusion

NREL is committed to inclusive, diverse, and unbiased hiring practices that foster creativity and innovation. We collaborate with organizations that focus on diverse talent pools, and our Talent Acquisition team is dedicated to providing an equitable application and interview process. We strive to create a culture where every employee feels welcomed and respected.

Research suggests potential job seekers may self-select out of opportunities if they don’t meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone interested to apply.

Job Description

The Water Power Deployment and Commercialization group within the Energy Conversion and Storage Systems (ECaSS) Center at NREL works to eliminate market barriers and enable commercialization for marine energy and hydropower systems. We are seeking interns to support the development of standard cost databases for renewable energy development in remote and island locations within the United States and its territories.

Responsibilities include:

• Developing technology cost models to evaluate current costs in remote and island locations
• Collecting primary data with internal and external partners to inform cost models
• Performing data cleaning and analysis for renewable technology project development cost data
• Contributing to report writing and presentation development summarizing project results

Specific job duties include:

• Data collection and literature review to capture relevant technology, materials, manufacturing, and supply chain trends
• Stakeholder discovery and outreach for data collection
• Using analytical methods and models to characterize technology costs under different scenarios
• Evaluating potential market drivers for renewable energy generation technology
• Writing and publishing research results in technical reports, academic journals, and conference proceedings
• Developing presentations summarizing completed work

Basic Qualifications

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Qualifications vary by education level:

• Undergraduate: Enrolled as a full-time student in a bachelor's degree program from an accredited institution.
• Post Undergraduate: Earned a bachelor’s degree within the past 12 months.
• Graduate: Enrolled as a full-time student in a master’s degree program from an accredited institution.
• Post Graduate: Earned a master’s degree within the past 12 months.
• Graduate + PhD: Completed master’s degree and enrolled as a PhD student from an accredited institution.

Note: Applicants must upload official or unofficial transcripts as part of the application process. Selected candidates will need to provide a letter of recommendation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Excellent technical writing skills
• Ability to work independently and in teams
• Knowledge and experience in renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, hydropower, and hydrogen
• Experience in data collection and analysis
• Stakeholder engagement and outreach
• Coding skills in Matlab/Simulink, Python, or other scripting languages
• Experience using techno-economic models like NREL System Advisor Model (SAM)
• Experience in writing technical reports or journal articles

Job Application Submission Window

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