Graduate (Year-Round) Intern – Wind Energy Cost, Market, and Supply Chain

Location

CO – Boulder

Position Type

Intern (Fixed Term)

Hours Per Week

40

Working at NREL

NREL’s 305-acre Flatirons Campus is the nation’s premier wind energy, water power, and grid integration research facility. Nestled south of Boulder, Colorado, and north of NREL’s main South Table Mountain campus, Flatirons sits adjacent to the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge and countless acres of open space and parks with stunning views of the Flatirons rock formations.

From day one at NREL, you’ll connect with coworkers driven by the same mission to save the planet. By joining an organization that values a supportive, inclusive, and flexible work environment, you’ll have the opportunity to engage through our ten employee resource groups, numerous employee-driven clubs, and learning and professional development classes.

NREL supports inclusive, diverse, and unbiased hiring practices that promote creativity and innovation. By collaborating with organizations that focus on diverse talent pools, reaching out to underrepresented demographics, and providing an inclusive application and interview process, our Talent Acquisition team aims to hear all voices equally. We strive to attract a highly diverse workforce and create a culture where every employee feels welcomed and respected and they can be their authentic selves.

Our planet needs us! Learn about NREL’s critical objectives, and see how NREL is focused on saving the planet.

We invite all interested candidates to apply for this opportunity. While we recognize that job seekers may hesitate if they don’t meet every requirement, we encourage dedicated individuals who meet all the basic and additional required qualifications of the role to submit an application. We value the opportunity to consider those who believe they have the necessary skills and ambition to succeed at NREL.

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 National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) and our Flatirons Campus has pioneered wind turbine components, systems, and modeling methods that have driven the industry’s acceleration over the past 40 years.

Role

NREL conducts a suite of technology, cost, supply chain, and market tracking activities that inform a wide range of industry, governmental, and regulatory decision-making activities. An internship is available to support the NWTC team that collects, synthesizes, analyzes, and reports on these types of data related to land-based, offshore, and distributed wind energy. The activities in this role will include:

• Tracking relevant industry trends such as the evolution of next generation turbines and components, the location and design of new wind projects, or the status of offshore wind electricity offtake contracts
• Understanding broader economic conditions that impact wind projects, such as inflation or interest rate trends, financing parameters, or commodity price indices
• Characterizing and analyzing representative land-based, offshore, and distributed wind projects that capture the spectrum of real-world project designs
• Modeling the range of costs associated with these projects
• Engaging with industry and government reviewers.

The intern will be expected to use NREL’s suite of Python-based techno-economic models (such as LandBOSSE, ORBIT, WOMBAT) to reflect market conditions, assess cost outputs, conduct sensitivity studies, and present results. Previous familiarity with these models is preferred but not required. The intern will be expected to analyze the cost results from the models to assess key cost trends through the industry while also being able to troubleshoot code and model outputs for errors or limitations. The intern will contribute to high visibility products such as the Annual Technology Baseline, the Cost of Wind Energy Review, and the Offshore Wind Market Report, and could potentially be a co-author on these reports.

The successful candidate will be self-motivated and able to complete tasks individually while also contributing to collaborative modeling efforts. The candidate should be proficient at organizing data compiled from a range of different sources and effectively synthesizing, vetting, and summarizing the data. The candidate will also be able to organize and communicate their results effectively to the broader NREL technology analysis team. The internship is expected to last for up to one year of employment.

Basic Qualifications

Minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.

Undergraduate: Must be 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. Eligible for an internship period of up to one year.

Graduate: Must be 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. Eligible for an internship period of up to one year.

Graduate + PhD: Completed master’s degree and enrolled as PhD student from an accredited institution.

Please Note

• Applicants are responsible for uploading official or unofficial school transcripts, as part of the application process.
• If selected for position, a letter of recommendation will be required as part of the hiring process.
• Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.
• Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

• Experience with wind energy technology trends, including through graduate coursework, research projects, or other internships
• An undergraduate degree in Engineering, Economics, Mathematics, Energy Science, or similar field
• Intermediate experience programming in Python
• Intermediate experience using Excel for data collection and analysis
• Basic experience with version control software, such as GitHub
• Ability to gather, process, and summarize a wide range of qualitative and quantitative data.
• Ability to effectively communicate complex topics both orally and in writing
• Works well independently and on teams

Preferred Qualifications

• A cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.5
• Experience as an undergraduate or graduate research assistant
• Proven research and technical writing skills
• Familiarity with NREL’s techno-economic modeling tools, including LandBOSSE, ORBIT, WOMBAT, and the turbine cost and scaling model

Job Application Submission Window

The anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.

Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)

Job Profile: / Annual Salary Range: $42,700 – $68,300

NREL takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Benefits Summary

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; and sick leave (where required by law). NREL employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement. Internships projected to be less than 20 hours per week are not eligible for medical, dental, or vision benefits.

• Based on eligibility rules

Badging Requirement

NREL is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which includes a favorable background investigation. Intern assignments extending beyond six months will be subject to this requirement.

Drug Free Workplace

NREL is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.

If you are offered employment at NREL, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.

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.

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, domestic partner 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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