Post Undergraduate/Graduate (Year-Round) Intern - System and Technoeconomic Analysis of Solar Fuel Production

Posting Title

Post Undergraduate/Graduate (Year-Round) Intern - System and Technoeconomic Analysis of Solar Fuel Production

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Location

CO - Golden

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Position Type

Intern (Fixed Term)

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Hours Per Week

20

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Working at NREL

Join a team of world-class scientists, engineers, and visionaries dedicated to shaping the world’s energy future through cutting-edge research and innovation. From our vision to our NREL community, we are unique in the research community. We are focused on impact. From our work in basic sciences to systems engineering, analysis, demonstration, and deployment, we are focused on solving market-relevant problems that result in advanced, secure, reliable, and affordable energy systems. We are trusted clean energy leaders, developing cost-saving solutions that make U.S. industries more competitive, and support job creation and economic growth across rural and urban communities.

At NREL, we offer a unique, mission-driven work environment with cutting-edge facilities and multidisciplinary research teams. NREL's environment offers strong partnerships with industry, academia, and other national laboratories, as well as professional development opportunities and a competitive benefits package for employees.

Learn about NREL’s critical objectives: NREL's Mission and Vision.

Job Description

NREL is seeking a graduate intern to contribute to research conducted by the Thermal Energy Science & Technologies Group within NREL’s Energy Conversion & Storage Systems Center (ECaSS). This person will join a growing research team that includes expertise in concentrating solar thermal (CST) technologies, thermochemistry, thermal energy storage, hybrid energy systems, industrial energy innovation, system modeling, technoeconomic analysis, and regulatory and market analysis.

The candidate will work on an NREL-led DOE-funded project that aims to develop and demonstrate a novel process for solar thermochemical fuel production. The candidate will have the opportunity for internal collaboration with researchers and engineers at NREL, as well as collaborating with external partners at academia and industry. The candidate will conduct research work that includes:

• Developing and modifying performance and cost models for relevant components such as heat exchangers, chemical reactors, pumps/compressors, thermal energy storage, solar fields, and other auxiliary units.
• Developing system performance and technoeconomic analysis models for different configurations of the solar fuel plant, including integration of models/parts developed by project partners.
• Developing operational strategies for the plant under different scenarios and assumptions.
• Performing sensitivity analysis and detailed analysis of specific case studies.
• Woking in a collaborative coding environment (GitHub).
• Writing technical reports and contributing to project review meetings.
• Publishing research results in peer-reviewed conferences and high-impact scientific journals.

The candidate will likely utilize various NREL software tools such as SolarPILOT and SAM, as well as develop models in Python and/or MATLAB.

Potentially, the candidate will also support ongoing experimental work that is designed to demonstrate the project’s chemical reaction process. If applicable, this work will be closely supervised by NREL mentor and will include experimental setup assembly, commissioning, and testing.

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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

The successful candidate must have demonstrated ability/experience in the following areas:

• Expertise in thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, and/or thermochemistry.
• Knowledge/experience in one or more systems: CST, thermal energy storage, chemical reactors.
• Programming in MATLAB, Python, or similar.

The candidate must demonstrate a capability to solve challenging research problems, and have excellent interpersonal, communication, writing and documentation skills. This position requires creativity, innovation, and adaptability.

Preferred Qualifications

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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: $43,700 - $69,900

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.

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Equal Opportunity 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.

Reasonable Accommodations

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