Generation Sector Renewable Energy Student Employee

EPRI’s Generation Sector focuses on a wide spectrum of research and development (R&D) across all thermal and renewables sources of power generation. The research supports EPRI’s mission of delivering independent, objective thought leadership and industry expertise to help the energy sector identify issues, technology gaps, and broader needs that can be addressed for the benefit of society. Research may include materials science, water technologies, digitalization, cyber security, turbomachinery, wind, solar, or hydro power (renewables), non-battery energy storage (chemical, mechanical, and thermal), carbon capture and sequestration, hydrogen economies and technologies at-scale, environmental sciences, etc.

Students working in the summer semester will typically work either at the EPRI Charlotte or Palo Alto locations, with some positions specific to a laboratory setting.  Students will take part in the Generation Sector’s summer student internship program experience.

The summer internship experience provides a technical mentor, training, and social and professional networking opportunities in addition to guided project-focused research work. This unique setting will provide students with rare, but essential practical insight to industry problems and issues and improve links to academic coursework. Other development and social activities in prior years have included:

• Lunch and learns with past interns, current EPRI employees
• Team building activities, for example a trip to the National Whitewater Center
• Tours of local power generation facilities
• EPRI lab tours
• Final presentations by summer student internship employees to their peers, mentors and other EPRI technical staff

Students may be hired into one of many research programs in the Generation Sector to work over the timeframe of May to August. Students who demonstrate exemplary skillsets and learning over this ~12-week period may be asked to work part time after the summer period and/or be invited in subsequent years to extend their exposure to the Energy Sector.

Candidates:

EPRI is looking for exceptionally talented science and engineering students wishing to gain additional experience in the power industry. Typical majors could include, but are not limited to the following:

• Engineering / Science - Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace / Aeronautical, Materials, Environmental, Data Science, or similar fields

Typical activities and responsibilities may include some of the following:

• Review and analyze power plant condition monitoring photography and/or operational data – data may be photos, time-series streaming / SCADA data, or from meteorological and other sensors during wind or solar plant operation
• Databasing and translating unstructured and/or image data to structured data
• Development of ideas and schema for automating translation processes for unstructured data
• Visualize and present results in formats suitable for publication
• Providing qualitative insights along with informative and quantitative results
• Work with technical mentors to gain experience in addressing real-world challenges, drivers, and priorities that impact wind and/or solar power generation

An Ideal Candidate will typically have the following qualifications. Exceptions have been made for students with exemplary background and interviews:

• Science / Engineering Graduate Student in final 1-2 years of MS or PhD degree track preferred
• Some course of studies or experiences involving renewable energies
• Working knowledge of core degree areas but a willingness to take on new challenges.
• Familiarity with database schema and running data queries
• Worked on group projects as part of classes and willingness to work and network with peer student interns at EPRI
• Excellent written and oral communication skills. Motivated to conduct independent research on assigned tasks, but with a want to interface with other peers and a technical mentor on a regular basis.

Applicants interested in applying for a remote-based position will be considered, but may have limited access to some in-person extracurricular opportunities as part of the internship program.